A Guyanese man and his 12-year-old nephew died on Sunday morning after a fire engulfed their Brooklyn, New York apartment home.
Dead are 33-year-old Shawn Monderson and Ceimon Fraser, who both died from smoke inhalation.
According to the New York Newsday, the fire was reportedly started by a candle that was lit in another apartment in the building. Further investigations by the New York fire officials revealed that a smoke detector in Monderson’s apartment had been unplugged and the battery removed.
Monderson’s relatives told the newspaper that he and his nephew had only moved into the apartment last week.
Fraser, they said, was only living with his uncle, who was employed as a bus driver, because his mother had returned to Guyana.
Frank Monderson, uncle of Shawn Monderson, said that his nephew, who had just become a US citizen, was like a father to the 12-year old and he was upholding a family tradition of looking out for family members.
However, the family was left in a quandary since they are unsure if they can afford to pay for the funeral arrangements.
Meanwhile, Newsday said Sunday’s fire followed the death of five nationals from the Dominican Republic who perished in a blaze at the family’s Chelsea, Manhattan apartment on Saturday. In this fire a couple and three of their children died.
The lone survivor was a 10-year old who was hospitalised with critical injuries. The six family members were found unconscious huddled in the bathroom and bedroom of their apartment. Like Monderson and Ceimon, the five also perished from smoke inhalation, according to Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the city medical examiner’s office.
Saturday’s fire was the deadliest in the city since March 2007, when a fire in the Bronx resulted in the death of ten people.
We would like to get in contact with a close relative to offer assistance. Pleaee If you can help.
Thanks Jagdesh
SN could you please get a name and address, where I can send some money . These people need some help, and I’m appealing to fellow bloggers who can do so, To please help. OUR COUNTRYMAN NEED SOME HELP IMMEDIATELY.
I will send 100 dollars immediately if I get an address.
Owen Khan
p.s. Mr Moderator you can email me with an answer if you get an address.
Three of us are prepared to send, can other bloggers help out, if it’s even a small amount, we need an address, telephone number or e-mail address, we r our brother’s keeper.
SN, can u please help us, time is going. Thanks.
Moderator’s note: We have no contact information for this family. Perhaps a reader in the Brooklyn area might know where they are located.
Thanks SN, Owen and Jade, nice to here that a funeral home in Brooklyn would provide the funeral expenses, just goes to show that there’s still kind persons in this world who cares.
This makes me extremely sad to hear of this . We must all pray for the family especially the mother . My condolences to the Monderson and Fraser families.
My deepest sympathy, today you are here ,tomorrow you are somewhere else.God is in charge
My deepest sympathy to family and friends. God is in control of everything.
my deepest sympathy to the family,
sympathy and condolences to the family.
It is so sad ,may their souls rest in peace
i am so sad to hear of this tragedy. that must be a horrific experience.so bad to die like that in another man land.my heartfelt condolence to all that mourn. luv u all.
Dear Editor, I write again to express my sympathy to the serviving love ones, except this time from my family and I. We are very sorry for the lost of these two precious lives. More so, because they were Guyanese too and so young. May their souls rest in peace and God forgive them all their sin and transgression. Condolence goes out to the family of the five that perished a few day earlier.