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Pensioner loses life’s possessions in fire
By Kiana Wilburg
“I cannot tell you how my heart hurts me in this situation. All my savings, favourite family pictures, every little thing I owned are gone forever. I never bothered anybody. Why did this have to happen to me? No one cared to help out before, who will help me now?”
This was the lament of a 73-year-old grandmother as she recalled how she lost her home to a fire on Monday night.
Clothilda James, a mother of two, who lived at Lot 17B Fellowship, West Coast Demerara, said that when the fire started about 21:30hrs (9:30pm), she was not even aware of her surroundings.
Clothilda James is disheartened by the fact that she could not find anything that could be used after the fire destroyed her home.
“When the fire started I didn’t even know what really was going on. It was like I was in a daze. I remember I had made myself some bora with rice and fish for lunch and then I was relaxing. Then night came and I was sitting in the chair. I don’t have lights or so. I would light my little kero lamp and that would do for me. Then when I was sitting… all of a sudden I feel like this veil come over my eyes and I couldn’t see properly anymore. Everything started to look blurry,” James said,
“I start feeling a sharp stinging in my head and then I remember I collapse on the ground. The next thing I know, someone came banging on the door and break through and they told me to run. When I was hurrying out I stumble on my steps and fall down again. It wasn’t until I crossed my bridge that I realized that my house was on fire.”
The emotional woman added, “Man it just hurt me. I start trembling. Everything I ever owned was just on fire. I mean I am not rich, but every little thing I ever had meant a lot to me. I had a little poultry thing going on with some ducks, and only a few were rescued.”
As she looked upon the remains of what used to be her favourite place, she said, “I still can’t believe all my little savings gone. I have nothing. I still can’t believe it. I am a pensioner and that couldn’t even do to help me with what I need. Now what will happen to me? This scares me, it scares me a lot.”
When asked whether she lived alone with her current health condition, James said, “No. I lived at this little house since 1998 with a kind “gentleman” who assisted in every way he could to keep us afloat. After he passed away, some of my health conditions worsened.”
“My pressure is always fluctuating, one day it high next day it very low. Sometimes I does just can’t see and I would collapse and go into a fit and so. So I had begged my grandson to stay with me and he would stay sometimes and he would be there for me. But last night (Monday night) he was not there when the fire happened.”
James was seen yesterday afternoon rummaging through pieces of burnt wood and other debris in hopes of recovering any of her important documents such as her birth certificate and her pension book. But she found nothing that could be used. She looked upon the razed structure once more as she said, “How could these awful things happen to honest people?”
While this publication spoke with several of James’s relatives, neighbours who were contacted to comment on the matter, refused to give much details except to say, “That lady is very quiet. It is real sad what happened to her.”
James said that she will be staying with her relatives for the time being, but is doing so with a heavy heart, as she really does not want to be a burden on them.
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