Fire guts home of East La Penitence pensioners

Jan 06, 2018 News

Firefighters trying to put out the blaze

A mid-afternoon fire yesterday gutted the home of two pensioners.

The two storey structure located at 31 A Morocut Square, East La Penitence, Georgetown, is the home of 69-year old Kenneth Herbert, his wife Joycelyn, 67, and their two grandchildren. The fire reportedly started at the back of the upper flat of the building.

A tearful Kenneth Herbert, who is a security guard, said that he was asleep when the fire broke out sometime around 13:00hrs.

“I was sleeping and my little girl (granddaughter) come and call me and… when I peep into the fourth bedroom, is there I see the fire on the bed,” he said.

Herbert said that he attempted to contain the blaze by throwing water, but was unsuccessful, and he eventually began searching for the children to get them out of the building, after realizing that he could not manage on his own.

Luckily all three of the occupants at the time, escaped unharmed from the burning building.

The man said he was unable to save anything, and over $1million in cash was burnt, since he was saving his money at home to travel abroad.

The house he lived in for over 20 years was incomplete and was being built to rent, according to Herbert.

A distraught Joycelyn Herbert

The pensioner said that whenever he is at home he ensures that the matches are placed high to avoid such issues. “I don’t know how the fire started.”

Meanwhile, his wife, who is a market vendor, upon arrival to the scene was screaming and hugging her grandchildren.

She said, “All I studying is them, cause this boy (grandson) lost he father only the other day and this one here (granddaughter) I got she since she is three months old…I thank God for these here who got they life.”

Her granddaughter is 12-years old and her grandson is 8-years old.

The Guyana Fire Service was given kudos for having responded to the fire within minutes and for preventing the fire from spreading to homes which were in close proximity.

Officials however noted that the cause of the fire is yet to be known, since the necessary investigations must be conducted.