Fire leaves Mayaro family homeless

A family of six from Mayaro, including a 20-year-old pregnant woman, is now homeless after a fire over the weekend. Despite losing everything in the blaze, the matriarch, 48-year-old Analisa Mykoo, said she was grateful for the outpouring of support from the community.

“Thank God there were no injuries. In no time, the neighbourhood came out and made sure the children got food to eat. A lot of people have also called, saying they are working on getting things for us,” Mykoo told Newsday.

“I also thank God that there weren’t many children in the house. My house usually has a lot of children from the neighbourhood.”

Mykoo recalled returning to her home on Naparima Mayaro Road after church on March 9 and starting to cook. At around 1 pm, a gas tank unexpectedly exploded in the kitchen while she was still cooking.

At the time, the mother of five was at home with her pregnant daughter, her daughter’s boyfriend, and another of her daughters, aged three.

“The three-year-old was asleep, so I had to go around the house and break a door to get her out,” Mykoo said.

The split-level concrete house was completely destroyed.

Mykoo said she did charity work in the community and, earlier in the day, had been distributing items to the less fortunate.

“I collect clothes and food items for families and redistribute them. I have been doing this for over ten years.”

She was injured in an accident in 2016 and suffered spinal injuries, for which she receives public assistance from the government.

Mykoo said she used to work in the construction industry and helped build her home.

“Yesterday, I watched my life’s work go up in flames in less than an hour. The fumes were too much, and we could not take anything out of the house. At my age, starting over from scratch all alone is hard.”

She has also spoken with Mayaro MP Rushton Paray and the chairman of the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation, Raymond Cozier, both of whom have pledged to help.

Investigations are ongoing.