Joy Martin was having breakfast in her David Rose Street, Bagotville, West Bank Deme-rara home when she heard children shouting that smoke was coming from the upper flat of the two-storey building early yesterday morning.
She rushed upstairs but thick black smoke overwhelmed her and she was forced to retreat. Neighbours and firemen fought valiantly to save the home but she could only watch as her possessions, worth millions of dollars, went up in flames in the newly-built home that she and her husband had moved into only three months ago.
The upper flat of the building was gutted. The bottom flat, made with concrete, was saved but filled with water. Martin told Stabroek News that it was only her and her husband, Deryck Martin, a boat captain, who lived there. He was at work when the incident occurred.
Martin recounted that she was having breakfast just after 6 am yesterday when she heard children shouting that smoke was coming from the upper floor of the building. Neighbours rushed over shouting that there was a fire. “I went upstairs but the smoke was so much I had to come down”, Martin said. She had hurried up with a bucket of water but there was little that it could have done. “We could not have saved a thing”, she said. “Everything from upstairs was lost”.
Neighbours formed a bucket brigade and attempted to douse the flames. The Fire Service was called and responded quickly. “Dem boys really work”, Martin said. The lower portion of the building was saved but soaked with water. The upper flat had contained three self-contained bedrooms and were well-furnished, Martin said. She estimated her losses to be over $12M. She was alone at home at the time and surmised that the fire could have only been electrical in origin. She pointed out that there were no children in the home and no cooking was done upstairs.
The Martins had only lived in the home for three months. Surrounded by commiserating neighbours, who came to offer their support yesterday, a greatly saddened Joy said that she would be staying with relatives for the time being.
