Elderly man dies in house fire

A 69-year-old man was killed in a fire that destroyed his house at La Vega Village in Gran Couva early Saturday.

Couva fire officers and Gran Couva police found the burnt remains of Soogrim Sookario shortly after 2am when the flames were put out. Someone contacted the fire station, but the house was already destroyed when officers arrived. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Sookario, commonly known as Sockie, lived alone in the old wooden house at Gran Couva Main Road.

He previously worked as a truck driver, residents said.

Residents shared conflicting views about Sookario. Some said he regularly had disputes with residents and was known to be aggressive and make derogatory comments.

"He got along with no one. He loved to make offensive comments about people, including Dr (Keith) Rowley. He was very disrespectful. He did not even get along with his own relatives," said a resident who did not give his name.

Another resident described Sookario as a kind person.

"He used to be a heavy drinker many years ago, but he stopped it. People used to thief things from his home, so he used to fall out with people. He would go out and things would go missing when he returned home," the man said.

"I have nothing bad to say about Sockie. I heard the fire truck passing, but it was only about 9 am I heard about the death. When his parents died, he remained in the house. That was one of the oldest houses in this area."

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday at the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James.