Police `actively probing’ deadly Amelia’s Ward fire

The police say that they are actively probing the Christmas Day arson in Amelia’s Ward, Linden that claimed the lives of a woman and her two nieces.

Meanwhile, Onika Lawrence, the mother of 16-year-old Angelique Lawrence and 8-yearold Ronika Lawrence, and sister of 30-year-old Zella Lawrence, told the Sunday Stabroek yesterday that she can’t really say how the house was maliciously set on fire because she wasn’t around when it occurred. She added that the police are still questioning people in the area to ascertain what happened.

Regional Commander of Division 10, Superintendent Guy Nurse told the Sunday Stabroek that currently there is an active investigation ongoing to ascertain who could have set the home on fire.

In a statement on Friday, the

Guyana Fire Service (GFS) said that the blaze was maliciously set by person(s) unknown. The fire occurred around 2:05 a.m. on Christmas Day at Lot 2692, Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden.

Zella Lawrence and her two nieces died from smoke inhalation, Nurse stated on Wednesday.

Onika had told Stabroek News on Wednesday that she was waiting to hear from the GFS on the matter. When asked if the apartment was grilled, she said that the windows, as well as the front and back doors were all grilled. However, she did not know what prevented her children and sister from escaping the fire.

The GFS had reported that firefighters from the Linden Fire Station responded to the fire at approximately 02.45 am. It noted that immediate action by firefighters contained the blaze to the lower flat of the building. The report added that a sofa set was destroyed, and four metres of ceiling, along with a quantity of clothing, were severely damaged.

Thirty-year-old Zella was a nurse and a mother of two – a six-year-old and a baby who will be one year-old on December 29.

Sixteen-year-old Angelique was a student of Golden Grove Secondary School, East Coast Demerara. She was expected to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams in 2024.

Eight-year-old Ronika was a pupil at Smith’s Memorial Primary, Georgetown.

“I feel devastated and broken,” Onika lamented. “I no longer have my two girls and sister with me.”