Boy, 3, badly burnt in fire

May 11, 2011 News

Doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital are currently battling to save the life of a toddler who was badly burnt following a fire yesterday morning at his parents’ home, Lot 7 Old Road, Enmore, East Coast Demerara.
According to reports, three-year-old Tony Ramlagan was rushed to the hospital by his father, Prakash Ramlagan. The child sustained burns to his entire body.
This newspaper was told that the child was asleep in the bedroom in which the fire reportedly started.
The child’s mother, Roschell Jagmohan, told this publication that the fire started at around 11:30hrs in the front bedroom of the house while she was in the kitchen preparing a meal.

3 year-old Tony Ramlagan who was burnt in the fire.

“I put he down on de bed and went to cook, and I check back on he and he was sleeping, and while I de cooking I turn around and see smoke coming out from de bedroom.”
The woman related that she immediately raised an alarm, by which time neighbours had noticed the blaze. According to Jagmohan, neighbours immediately formed a bucket brigade, as she made several futile attempts to rescue her only son.
“After I see de fire I run to de bedroom but fire was all over de room. I couldn’t go in de room so dem neighbours start throwing water and after de fire cool down li’l a man grab meh son off de bed,”.
The young mother of two said by the time they reached her son he had burns about most of his body and his clothes were falling off of him.
“By de time we get he out of de room meh husband de done reach home so he just collect we son and we rush he to de hospital.”
The toddler’s father, who is a taxi driver, told this publication that he was working when he received a call from his wife saying that their home was on fire. He said when he arrived his sole focus was on getting his son to the hospital.
At the hospital the woman and her husband were comforted by relatives just outside of the Intensive Care Unit where the child was being treated for his burns. Both parents said that they were hoping for the best, despite the fact that they were told that the child was in a critical condition.
‘The doctors in there trying with him, all we can do is hope for the best, the doctors really doing a good job,” the child’s father said. Neither Ramlagan nor Jagmohan could say what started the fire but they speculated that it may have been electrical in origin.
However most of the household articles in the house were saved except for the furnishings in the bedroom.
Meanwhile neighbours came in for high praise from the child’s parents for their efforts in putting the fire out.
The child’s mother was detained briefly by the police but subsequently released.