The aunt and her two nieces who perished in the early Christmas morning fire at a home in Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Region Ten, died from smoke inhalation, Regional Commander of Division 10 Superintendent Guy Nurse stated yesterday.
The Commander also informed that the investigation into the fire was still ongoing as he was awaiting the report from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).
Zella Lawrence, 30, Angelique Lawrence, 16, and Ronika Lawrence, 8, all perished in a fire that consumed a two-storey wooden and concrete building owned by Veronica Headley.
Onika Lawrence, the grief-stricken mother of Angelique and Ronika, and sister of Zella, yesterday told the Stabroek News that she too was waiting to hear from the GFS on the matter. When asked if the apartment was grilled, she said that the windows, as well as the front and back doors were all grilled. However, she did not know what prevented her children and sister from escaping the fire. This, she also expects to find out from the GFS..
Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn expressed deep sorrow as he visited the grieving members of the Lawrence family earlier yesterday. He extended his support and encouraged them to stay resilient during this difficult period.
Also expressing concern for public safety, Benn urged citizens to exercise caution, especially during the festive season. His advice included avoiding circuit overloads, never leaving a lit stove unattended, and ensuring that matches and lighters are kept out of reach of children. In addition, he stressed the importance of educating children about the dangers associated with playing with matches or fire.
The GFS had reported that firefighters from the Linden Fire Station responded to the fire at approximately 02.45 hrs on December 25 at Lot 2692, Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden. It noted that immediate action by firefighters contained the blaze to the lower flat of the building. The report added that a sofa set was destroyed, and four metres of ceiling, along with a quantity of clothing, were severely damaged.
In an earlier interview with Stabroek News, Onika Lawrence had said that on Saturday she travelled with her two daughters to Linden to spend Christmas with family. Upon arrival in Linden, the trio stopped at Zella’s apartment in Amelia’s Ward; it was her first time visiting since her sister moved to her new apartment.
After a few hours, they went to the family house in Mora Street, Mackenzie. When they arrived there, Angelique told her that they had forgotten a bag with clothes at Zella’s apartment. She promised her daughter that they would retrieve it later.
At approximately 20.00 hours, Zella left work and went to Mora Street, and shortly after left for the supermarket, but Onika said she retired to bed before her sister returned. At about midnight, she was notified that her daughters had gone with their aunt to her apartment. She said she wasn’t alarmed and returned to bed. However, at about 02.00 hours, they received a call telling them that Zella’s apartment was on fire. When she got to the scene, she said, she was told that her sister and daughters were unable to escape the apartment.
Onika recalled that when she later visited the hospital, she noted that the bodies of her daughters and sister were not burnt.
Thirty-year-old Zella was a nurse and a mother of two – a six-year-old and a baby who will be one year-old on December 29.
Sixteen-year-old Angelique was a student of Golden Grove Secondary School, East Coast Demerara. She was expected to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams in 2024.
Eight-year-old Ronika was a student at Smith’s Memorial Primary, Georgetown.
“I feel devastated and broken,” Lawrence lamented. “I no longer have my two girls and sister with me.”
