Six members of a family, including a child, escaped unhurt after their Corentyne, Berbice home and vehicles were targeted in a suspected Molotov cocktail attack in the wee hours of Tuesday. Contractor Rawjhen Armogun recalled that he and his wife were asleep in the lower flat of the house at about 2:00h when they were startled by a loud sound. “I hear like a shot, what I thought was a gunshot. And it was a splash straight into the wall. But when I get up on my bed and I pull the blind, I see fire on the outside. What I thought was something caught outside. I didn’t expect that, what I think. So, I burst the door and run out, and when I see, fire is all over the place,” he recalled. Armogun said fires ignited at several points around the property, including near the house and vehicles parked outside.

He believes the positioning of the fires suggested that whoever was responsible intended to endanger his family and not just damage his property. “We have all our trucks at the outside of the yard, but they actually come for the family in the house. You know, if we burn, they could burn everybody within the family inside. They didn’t come for nothing outside of the yard, but they just came for me and my family,” he said. The contractor further told the Guyana Times that family members immediately began using a hose to battle the flames as they awaited the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) to arrive at the scene. He said they were able to extinguish most of the fires before firefighters arrived. However, following the incident, the family reportedly found six bottles at different locations around the property. Armogun described them as rum bottles with what appeared to be wicks attached. He said a container was also found near one of the trucks. Surveillance footage from the property was subsequently reviewed.

“We see a person walk on the side of the truck from the dam. But when he goes, we only see the smoke and light at the dam, and then the person starts throwing, throwing. That is all we see. We didn’t see anybody else,” Armogun posited. He said the individual appeared to be male and was wearing a hoodie, which prevented the family from identifying him. The 54-year-old has spent most of his life in the construction industry, a profession that has extended through three generations of his family. His father was a contractor; Armogun followed him into the trade, and his son is now doing the same. The incident has nevertheless left the family considering additional measures to protect the property. “This is an attack on my family. We have to put little measures in place now, right? But like I tell you, I will protect my family with my life. If I have to die, I will die. But nobody can save me but God. That’s my belief,” he said. While expressing hope that those responsible would be brought to justice, the contractor stressed that he does not know anyone who would want to attack his family. With the motive still unknown, Armogun said the family now has to remain prepared for the possibility of another incident.