Latest update December 23rd, 2024 3:40 AM
Pensioner rescued from burning home
A 73 -year-old man is now thankful to neighbours who saved him from being burned to death yesterday afternoon.
The homeless pensioner, Dhanpaul
Dhanpaul, called ‘Father Bull’, was luckily pulled from his Lot 99 Onion Field, La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara home.
The fire, which started shortly after 13:00hrs, has left three other persons homeless. Dhanpaul had been sharing the two-storey property with his granddaughter and her two children. The latter mentioned were not at home as the fire raged.
Dhanpaul said that after returning home having had a few drinks with his son-in-law, he realized that smoke was emanating from the adjacent bedroom, which was occupied by his granddaughter and her children.
Despite this, Dhanpaul, who lived at the house for over seven years now, said he went into his bedroom to take a nap. The pensioner said that he was later awakened by intense heat and the sound of neighbours calling out to him, relaying that his house was on fire.
According to Dhanpaul, he came out and saw the fire, but could not do anything to help himself. That’s when neighbours rushed to his aid and dragged the weakened man out of the burning building.
“Me drink me li’l rum and yuh know how drunk people does be. I couldn’t ah come out ah deh. Is good thing dem boy pull me out…God save me life here today,” Dhanpaul said.
While the man hinted that his great-grandchildren usually play with matches, neighbours are suspicious that ‘Father Bull’ himself might’ve caused the fire.
Onlookers told this publication that the children could have never been responsible for the damage amounting to millions, as they had been in school all day, while their mother had gone to work.
A distraught family member (sitting) contemplates her next move as a neighbour looks on at the badly damaged house.
“De man does drink steady; awe does tell he about this drinking, but he nah hear. He want fuh blame dem children and seh is dem cause this fire, but even if they does play with matches like he seh, dem children gon ah school since eight o’clock this morning. He, heself careless, suh me wouldn’t be surprised if is he mek the place bun down. He alone been home, suh ah he gah fuh know” one neighbour told this newspaper.
Another noted, “de girl live there with she children and it gon be hard fuh her because she nah have nowhere else to go. Is she I sorry for. Roseanna is a good girl and she does hustle fuh a better life.
This gon be a real downfall fuh she here. “Bull” is a big man, he got he children dem and suh, but me ain’t know wha guh happen to she.”
Dhanpaul’s granddaughter, “Roseanna” was too traumatized to speak with this publication. She sat on a rock in front of the yard, crying. The house was gutted, with all of the family’s belongings going up in flames.
Residents said that the Guyana Fire Service responded promptly, and firefighters were able to prevent nearby houses from being burnt. As of last evening, the cause of fire was unknown, but investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, this newspaper understands that an ‘A’ Field Sophia resident is currently on the run after attempting to set his house alight while his reputed wife and 11 children were inside. Firefighters managed to save the home and prevent the loss of lives.
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