“We have to start from scratch” – fire leaves Blairmont family homeless

An estate worker, his wife and their two young children have been left homeless after an early-morning fire destroyed their home and belongings at Lot 100 Zorg-en-Hoop, Blairmont, West Bank Berbice (WBB), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), on Tuesday. The blaze, which occurred at about 02:00h, left 33-year-old Bishram Jaglal and his family with virtually nothing, including $200,000 he had in the home.

Jaglal, an employee of the Blairmont Sugar Estate, lived in the one-bedroom house with his 26-year-old wife, Shivani Kalichand, and their two children, eight and three years old. Jaglal said he was sitting in a hammock at his mother’s property, while his brother and cousin were also outside. He recalled that his brother first became aware of the fire after hearing an unusual noise and looking towards the house.

“My brother hear some noise, something making some noise, and when he watched, he see fire in the house. Nobody was home over there,” Jaglal related.