Young single mother devastated after fire destroys Queenstown home

Vanlisha Warrick, a 28-year-old single mother says she lost all of her life’s belongings after a fire destroyed her home at Queenstown Village, Essequibo Coast, Region Two, on Thursday.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

In a phone interview with the News Room on Friday, Warrick explained that she lived in the wooden house with her seven-year-old son, Hayden Sooklall. She said that on Thursday she left home at about 08:00 hrs, took her son to school, and then reported for duty at the Suddie Hospital.

She said she left work around 16:30 hrs, collected her son from his after-school lessons, and then went to her salon, which is located a few streets away from her home.

“I came straight to the salon with my son. I was about to do a client’s hair when my sister-in-law came on a bike and said, ‘Vinno, Vinno, your house is burning!’” she recalled.

Warrick said she immediately ran out of the salon, only to find her home already engulfed in flames.

“All I could do was stand and watch. No one was at home. I’m confused because I’m just trying to figure out how it happened. I left and everything was normal inside the house,” she said.

Warrick explained that she built the house to provide a comfortable life for herself and her son. She estimates that it would cost millions of dollars to rebuild and furnish the home.

“The house was fully furnished. I had everything, refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, music set, television, beds and all of that is lost, along with my personal documents,” she said.

In the meantime, Warrick is currently staying with her mother. Warrick said officials from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, along with the Regional Executive Officer (REO), have since visited her, and she remains hopeful that she will receive assistance to rebuild.

“I work very hard for everything that I have. I’m young, I’m a mother. I would work at my salon all afternoon until night just to provide for my child, and for this to happen, waking up one day and everything is gone, it’s really hard,” she said.

Anyone wishing to assist Vanlisha Warrick can contact her on 602-1293.