Preysal fire victims hope to rebuild

A Preysal family, who were left homeless after a recent fire, hopes to rebuild their home at Freeport Mission Road.

They face challenges, however, as they do not have a title for the land or the money for construction.

Feyzal Shah, 45, his wife Michelle Subit, 44, and their 11-year-old son, along with Subit’s sister Indera Subit, 41, and her eight-year-old daughter lost their home on March 9. The children are students of the Preysal Government Primary School.

Shah told Newsday on Tuesday, “Our family, together with about 12 others in the area, do not have documents to show ownership of the land. People used to rent the land many years ago. When the owner died about 30 years ago, the person put in charge of the land wanted nothing to do with it.

“Without papers, we cannot get any government grants. We cannot rebuild right now. My wife has been living in that house since she was three years old.”

Shah said to help with online learning, each child had been given an electronic device – one from a women’s group in the community and the other from representatives from the school’s PTA. Since the fire, members of the public have also donated food and clothing.

The family suffered a different kind of loss in December 2016, when their 11-year-old daughter, Meagan Shah, developed a blood clot. Relatives took the child to the hospital, where she died. The loss they suffered in the fire is nothing compared to the child’s death, Shah said.

“We may seem calm because we have lost much more than this (the house and its contents). We cannot get her back.”

The fire broke out on the top floor of the two-storey wooden and concrete house, near Melanie Gardens, at about 4 pm on March 9.

The cause of the fire and the value of the house and household items are yet to be determined.

Anyone willing to help can call the family at 485-6099.