Kaieteur News Reports : A two-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after his persistent knocking at a bathroom door alerted his mother to a rapidly spreading fire, allowing them to escape their family home just moments before it was reduced to ash.
The blaze broke out shortly after 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2026, destroying the two-storey wooden and concrete residence on Waterloo Street.
Bibi Fareena Wahab, 20, was in the bathroom when her young son began urgently rapping on the door, calling out for her. Sensing an unusual urgency in the child’s tone, Wahab exited the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her.
“He called two times — ‘mammy, mammy’ — but he can’t talk properly,” Wahab recounted. “I barely wrapped up… When I came out, all I could see was smoke. I grabbed him and I ran out. I couldn’t do anything.”
Within minutes, the house, which had stood for over two decades, was consumed by flames. Neighbours rushed to the scene to assist, but the intensity of the fire prevented any efforts to save the structure or its contents.
The home was occupied by Wahab, her husband Dhanraj Arnold, and their toddler. The property owner, 56-year-old Jasoda, and her husband, who work in the Mahaicony Creek, used the home on weekends.
Arnold, a construction worker, returned from work to find the entire residence and its contents destroyed. Among the lost items were three electric generators, a motorcycle, a grass-cutting machine, household appliances, and vital family documents.
Divisional Fire Officer Clive McDonald confirmed that a fire tender from the Onverwagt Fire Station was dispatched, but the structure was already beyond saving upon their arrival.
While preliminary findings from the Fire Service suggest the blaze may have been ignited by a child playing with matches, the family has strongly disputed this claim, maintaining that no matches were accessible on the premises.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The family is now facing the difficult task of rebuilding their lives and has issued an appeal for public assistance. Those wishing to offer support are encouraged to contact the family at 648-6498.
