De Willem blaze leaves three homeless

The ruins of the De Willem house

Three persons were early yesterday morning left homeless after a fire of unknown origin totally destroyed their De Willem, West Coast Demerara home.

The ruins of the De Willem house

Twenty-seven-year-old Kheel Persaud cut a sad picture yesterday afternoon as he stood gazing at the remains of the place he has called home since he was a child.

He told Stabroek News that he had been riding around the village the entire day and ever so often he would stop and look at the burnt remains at the Lot 101 De Willem, South address.

“I still don’t know what to do, whole day I like this…” the young man, who shared the house with his 65-year-old mother Tamttie Persaud and his sister Yeeshdra, said.

None of the family members was at home at the time of the fire since Persaud’s mother and sister were at a relative on the East Bank while he was in Essequibo working.
“Neighbours say around 4:30 this morning they see fire coming from the back room and they call the fire station but by the time they come the house already burn,” he told Stabroek News.

The young man said that he doubts the fire was electrical in origin as whenever they leave the home they usually turn the main switch off.

“The neighbours ent see nothing but you know at that time in the morning everyone sleeping deep so right now we don’t know.”

“I get the call about the fire this morning and I get the first boat and come down. By the time me mother and sister come the house already gone,” he said.

A dog which was in a pen at the time was safe and alive yesterday afternoon.

The man said their father died when they were very young and his mother worked for years as a domestic to build the house they called home.

“Right now she really taking it on and she pressure high because is everything gone, everything.”

He said his mother had stopped working and he supported her and now he would have to focus on rebuilding the house.

Only last Christmas the family did some work on the house.

Persaud estimates their loss in the millions, revealing the house was well furnished with everything for a comfortable living.