Granny, 63, dies in house fire

UPDATE:

THE death of 63-year-old Tarra Seeram, who was killed in a house fire before dawn yesterday, has marred the Christmas holidays for residents of Korea Village in Carapichaima. But they are cherishing the memories they shared with her especially on Christmas Day, just hours before she died.

Yesterday at about 4.30 am, the fire broke out in the two-bedroom house at Jagbir Street. When Chaguanas fire officers contained the flames, they found the charred remains of the mother of five in her bedroom. She was a grandmother of 16, who had polio. Seeram’s son Bijou Sinanan, 36, ran from the burning house and alerted relatives. The roof of the house had already caved in. Had he attempted to re-enter the house, he too would have been burnt to death, relatives said.

Relatives told Newsday that Seeram celebrated Christmas Day by liming in the homes of friends and family in the community and returned home that night. Four years ago, Seeram’s husband Sinanan Seepersad died at home of natural causes. Since his death, Seeram often spent most of her nights at home of her neighbour and friend, Balmatie Poonwassie.

One of Seeram’s daughters, Lutchmin Sinanan, said: “My brother woke us up saying the house on fire. I asked if mother was inside the house and he said no. We thought she spent the night by the neighbour. Christmas Day, she spent the day by me. She ate, lime then she said she was going down the road.”

Lutchmin said had her mother lived to see Boxing Day, they would have been together with residents talking and liming.

Poonwassie said Seeram often heard the voice of her late husband in the house.

“She would get frightened whenever she heard him call out her name. Since his death, she was sleeping by me from time to time. Whenever she did not spend the night by me, I felt like a fish out of water,” Poonwassie said.

On Christmas night, Poonwassie said she was feeling unwell and went to bed. Seeram told her she was going to visit relatives nearby as she normally would. It was only when relatives began searching for Seeram they learnt she had not spent the night at Poonwassie’s home.

The cause of the fire is undetermined.

An autopsy is expected to be done tomorrow at the Forensic Sciences Centre, St James.
Freeport police are investigating.

ORIGINAL STORY:

After celebrating Christmas Day together, residents of Korea Village in Carapichaima are mourning the death of 63-year-old Tarra Seeram who was killed in a fire today.

At about 4.30 am, fire broke out in the two-bedroom house at Jagbir Street. When Chaguanas fire officers contained the flames, they found the charred remains of the mother of five in her bedroom. She was a grandmother of 16, who once had polio.

Her son Bijou Sinanan, 36, managed to run from the burning house.

Relatives told Newsday that Seeram celebrated Christmas Day by liming in the homes of friends and family in the community, and returned home that night. For the past four years, since the death of her husband Seeram often spent most of her nights at home of a neighbour.

One of her daughters, Lutchmin Sinanan, said: "My brother woke us up saying the house on fire. I asked if mother was inside the house and he said no. We thought she spent the night by the neighbour. Christmas Day, she spent the day by me. She ate, lime then she said she was going down the road."

Lutchmin said had her mother lived to see Boxing Day, they would have been together with residents talking and liming.

Freeport police are investigating.