The arsonist who set an Amelia’s Ward, Linden, home on fire which claimed the lives of a woman and her two nieces on Christmas Day, is yet to be apprehended.
The Commander of Region Ten, Superintendent Guy Nurse, told the Sunday Stabroek yesterday that while no one has been charged for the malicious act, the investigation into the matter is still ongoing. “We will keep going until we pick up something.”
Onika Lawrence, the mother of 16-year-old Angelique Lawrence and 8-year-old Ronika Lawrence, and sister of 30-year-old Zella Lawrence who all perished in the fire, told the Sunday Stabroek on December 30 that she was unable to say how the house was set on fire.
In a statement on Friday, December 29, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) reported that the blaze was maliciously set by person(s) unknown. The fire occurred around 2:05 a.m. on Christmas Day at Lot 2692, Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden.
Zella Lawrence and her two nieces died from smoke inhalation.
The GFS had reported that firefighters from the Linden Fire Station responded to the fire at approximately 02.45 am and 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.
Thirty-year-old Zella was a nurse and a mother of two.
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 pupil at Smith’s Memorial Primary, Georgetown.
“I feel devastated and broken,” Onika lamented. “I no longer have my two girls and sister with me.”
