Fire destroys Manchester Village house

Last Updated on Tuesday, 3 October 2017, 23:14 by Denis Chabrol

Fire late Tuesday night destroyed a large wooden house at Manchester Village, Corentyne, East Berbice, fire officials said.

Details are sketchy but police sources said the fire at Manchester South left  29-year old Mero “Cussum” Hunt and two other persons homeless. His girlfriend, Alicia, was not at home at the time.

Hunt reportedly left the house and returned one hour later when he saw the fire, contacted fire service but it was too late.

Fire service personnel said the house was “burnt flat” and all that remained was “rubble”.

The cause of the blaze, which began before 9 PM,  was not immediately known. Investigators are working on the theory that a lit candle might have been the source of the fire. The house had no electricity

The fire occurred at a time when Manchester villagers were coming to grips with the fact that the body of one of their own, 75-year old Phyllis Caesar, was found bound and gagged in her home in Georgetown.

Also killed by unidentified bandits in the same house was Caesar’s long-time family friend, 88-year old Constance Fraser.