Fire leaves four homeless

LESS than half an hour after leaving home, a 35-year-old woman rushed back to find her small house engulfed in flames on Thursday afternoon. Jenny Rooplal, 35, broke down in tears when she realised that she, her husband and their two children were homeless. Apart from the clothes on their backs, the family lost all their earthly possessions in the fire, which is believed to have started after a lighted stove was carelessly left on by the woman before she left home.

The fire started in the kitchen area of the wooden structure. Rooplal lives with her husband Sagram Kissoon, who was at work at the time of the blaze, and their sons Dale and Dillon Kissoon. Rooplal told police that around 2.30 pm on Thursday, she left her Estate Road, Monkey Town home and went to visit her brother, who lives in the area. She said that less than a half an hour later, someone told her her house was on fire.

Estimated cost of the damage was put at $20,000. The family has since sought refuge with relatives and neighbours and are pleading for help in rebuilding their home and their lives. Visiting the scene were Insp Ali and PC Jokhan of Barrackpore Police Station and investigations are continuing.