Mother worries about children’s exams after blaze destroys home

May 19, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – Displaced mother of two, Maryann Kissoon, whose home was destroyed on Sunday morning said she is struggling to stabilise her family ahead of her children’s school examinations which begins next week.

Speaking with Kaieteur News, the mother of three, including two young children ages three and six, shared that her family has remained at the Lot 218 Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown location since the fire occurred, hoping someone would eventually arrive to assist them.

Mother worries about children’s exams after blaze destroys home

The fire at Middle Road, La Penitence gutted the two-storey building completely.

Kissoon expressed concern about her children, whose school examinations are scheduled to begin next week, explaining that after speaking with the school, she was advised to send the children in normal clothing for now. However, she said she is now trying to figure out how to stabilise her situation in time to ensure her children can comfortably attend and prepare for their exams. “I am trying to see what can possibly happen so they can go. Their test is starting next week, so by now and then I have to sort myself out.”

Other fire victim, Matthew Reid, said he is currently focused on dealing with his insurance company in hopes of recovering his vehicle, which was fully insured through the bank. He explained that, so far, no assistance has been offered, with only his workmates reaching out to support him by helping to rent a waste bin to clear the debris and begin rebuilding.

Reid, a Muslim, said members of his mosque had not yet been informed about the fire, but a fellow member contacted him and promised to notify the masjid so assistance could possibly be organised. “To be honest, it’s not surprising that no one reached out to help. Really and truly. I’m not a person that would look out for help, but if given to me, I would accept it. If was elections time, maybe I would have already gotten some help,” he said.

Reid was alerted to the fire by his cousin who lives in another apartment of the building and the first thing he did was to get his 96-year-old grandmother out of the building. “The most I could have done was to go pull my grandmother out because her bedroom was engulfed already,” Reid, who shared the apartment with his girlfriend, shared. “When I got the door opened, I grabbed her and brought her down the stairs,” he said about his grandmother, Emelda Pollard.

Reid, who was born and raised at the location, could not say what caused the fire. “Apparently, it started upstairs but I don’t know if it’s an electrical fire or what. I couldn’t tell,” he said, adding that the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and Guyana Police Force had earlier been on the scene to collect statements. “Right now, I am completely blank because it’s basically starting over fresh again. Everything that you worked for is gone and definitely not easy to rebuild,” he expressed.

Another occupant, Ruandra McDonald, common-law husband of Kissoon, was not at home at the time of the fire but when he received the devastating call at 12:50am, he said he sped home but was still too late to save anything. “When I came, everything was in flames. I couldn’t save anything. I lost every single thing.” McDonald is counting all of his losses, including that of his brand-new motorbike for which he received the registration only last week.

As a welder, his tools, too, were destroyed in the fire. “I don’t know where to start from because all my tools were destroyed. I just left helpless right now. I sleep in my car last night because I didn’t have anywhere to go,” he shared.

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CSEC, fire, La Penitence, Maryann Kissoon, Middle Road

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