Couple homeless in fire

WHEN 21-year-old Rousillac resident Cindy Seusarran saw the family’s home on fire on Tuesday, she called out in vain for help, but residents were not around to save the wooden structure.

Even the family’s dog, Diggy, remained silent in his kennel just feet away from the burning structure.

“No one was around to help. I was in shock. I kept bawling out and no one was hearing me. The dog was in shock too, he did not make a sound. He could have died with the amount of smoke. He normally makes noise but at that time, he did not bark or anything,” Seusarran told Newsday.

Eventually, a neighbour came and removed the dog from the kennel and took it to safety.

Within minutes, the two-bedroom house was gutted leaving Seusarran and her common-law husband Rennison Boodram, 38, homeless.

The couple lives at Boodram Avenue off Neranthar Trace.

Seusarran said she was washing clothes behind the house where she saw flames coming from the front bedroom. She started crying out for help. She said she became traumatised and telephoned a neighbour as the flames quickly spread.

“I don’t know what happened to the phone after. I cannot say if it fell or if I put it on the washing machine, but it was burnt in the fire. Everything happened so fast. My husband works very hard and always buy items for the house. The machine cost about $4,000 and we had two. The items inside the house cost much more than the house.”

Boodam, a skilled labourer, said he was at work in Point Fortin, at about 12.45 am, on Tuesday, when he received a call about the fire. Initially, he did not believe it and left work. When he reached home the house was already in ruins.

“We lost everything. She (Seusarran) was home. I have been living in that house for the past nine years. We do not know what caused the fire. I bought a lot of new household items; some I am still paying for.”

Boodram said fire officers from the San Fernando station responded promptly but the house was already gutted.

The couple is staying with relatives in the interim.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.