Latest update December 17th, 2024 3:32 AM
Mother and son die in Good Hope, Essequibo Coast fire
Kaieteur News – A mother and son tragically lost their lives Tuesday morning, when their Good Hope, Essequibo Coast, Region Two home went up in flames trapping them.
Dead: Sasha La Cruz and Ilyas Wilson
Dead are 32-year-old Sasha La Cruz and her nine-year-old son Ilyas Wilson.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire started at around 05:00hrs, and quickly spread throughout the wooden and concrete house.
At the time of the fire, Sasha was at home with three of her four children. Her husband, 66-year-old Andrew Dash, was not at home at the time of the fire.
According to Vernon Dash, the deceased brother-in-law, he was awakened at around 05:00hrs by what he described as “explosive sounds”. Vernon, who lives in the same yard with the deceased said, “I was awaken about 05:00 with some kinda noise, when I watch out the bedroom window, I see the house on fire. I run out to see wa is the position, when I come out, I see big fire. I take off the main switch and lash down the electric cable cause da is done a problem by itself because you gon deal with water and current.”
As family members battled the fire, two of the Sasha’s children, ages 11 and 13, rushed out of the house. Sasha, a housewife and her nine-year-old son were however trapped in the burning building.
Vernon, who spoke to Kaieteur News said, “I didn’t even know wa going on, it was so confusing, the two children come out we ain’t even know who in the house, then we hear they saying…the girl lef in the house with the lil bai. But nobody couldn’t go in there, the fire was too much. Maybe she get confuse and trapped because they house ain’t got grills, she could’ve break the louvers and come out, but we ain’t sure what happen.”
The Good Hope, Essequibo Coast house on fire
An electrical connection on the house
Kaieteur News understands that the Fire Department took almost 45 minutes to respond and it was relatives and neighbours who attempted to douse the fire.
“We had to do something or this other house would’ve burn down. One of meh nephew come with a pump and he start soaking the building that was on fire. Same time we soaking here [the second house], because the heat was too much… All I doing is controlling the fire cause this house de done on fire, so we d’ trying to save this next one, trying to take out as much as possible from in here too cause I ain’t know wa gon happen,” Vernon told this publication.
After the flames were doused, the charred remains of Sasha and her son, Ilyas were recovered from the scene, examined and transported to the Suddie Public Hospital where they were pronounced dead by a doctor. The bodies were then taken to the Suddie Hospital Mortuary.
Meanwhile, angry relatives are calling for the extension of fire services to far flung communities in Region Two. The relatives said that had there been fire services closer to their location, the lives of Sasha and her son would have been saved as well as millions in losses.
“We need the fire service closer, or else we wasting time… we suffering. I see some roads building to go nowhere at all, you got money, invest the money in place that can benefit people, you see some road building where got no house, just to go sea wall, what we really need is a fire service at every police station because all these years is till at Regina the fire station deh,” said Vernon.
The aftermath of the Good Hope, Essequibo Coast fire
Relatives estimate the losses in the millions since a part from a fully furnished house being completely destroyed, several outboard engines and spare parts were also damaged and destroyed.
An investigation has since been launched to determine the cause of the fire.
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