Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Seven months after losing her common-law husband to a sudden heart attack, 44-year-old Rosemary Seenath now faces an even deeper heartbreak—homelessness.
Last Tuesday, flames tore through her small concrete annex at Puzzle Island, Suchit Trace, Penal. The mother of two could only watch helplessly as the last place her children felt safe burned to ash.
With Christmas less than a month away, Seenath says she has no idea how she and her sons—ages 11 and 8—will get through the holidays.
“The only thing I managed to save was my children’s school books,” she said, standing in the yard where the annex she lived in for 15 years once stood. “I need a place to stay. It’s a hurtful situation. Now my kids and I are on the road with no place to go.”
Her boys, both pupils at the Suchit Trace Hindu School, have not returned to classes since the fire. Her eldest is preparing for the SEA exam next year, but right now, his mother said, “he is too traumatised to even focus.”
The family was already reeling from the loss of Seenath’s partner, Dilip Deo, who died suddenly earlier this year. His death shattered the little stability they had left.
“We are still grieving his loss,” Seenath whispered. “Before he died, he picked up a Spanish woman and left us in this house. I bore it and stayed with him, but I never expected him to die. My children still cry for him.”
Deo had children from other relationships, including his first marriage, and Seenath said she had found herself in a situation where she was no longer wanted in the house she once called home.
“I have nothing left,” she cried.
Recalling the tragedy, Seenath said she was at home around 5.45 pm washing clothes outside when she heard a loud explosion from her bedroom. When she ran inside, she saw her bed, wardrobe, and several appliances engulfed in flames. She said a faulty extension cord—known to spark—had finally failed, igniting her room.
Her first instinct was to grab the gas tanks before they exploded.
“I didn’t even think—I just ran for the tanks,” she said. “I inhaled so much smoke, but I haven’t even gotten medical care yet. I don’t have money for that.”
Fire officers from the Penal Fire Station contained the blaze, but half of the 60x30 concrete structure was destroyed. The household was uninsured.
Seenath is staying temporarily at her aunt’s home in Debe but said she cannot return to the house she once shared with Deo.
“I have no Christmas,” she said softly. “A few people came and gave us some clothes and hampers, but we have nothing else.”
With nowhere permanent to go, Seenath is appealing to Minister of the People, Vandana Mohit, for short-term emergency lodging for at least three months—just enough time to rebuild stability for her sons. She hopes to construct a small home near her mother’s house in Princes Town where the boys can finally feel secure again.
Her aunt, Etwaria Chanka, is now begging the public to help the family rebuild.
“She cannot go back to the house that burned,” Chanka said. “We hope she can get a place built for herself and the boys. At the end of the day, these children are innocent and deserve a better life.”
Anyone wishing to assist with building materials, temporary housing, school supplies, or financial support can contact Rosemary at 770-5049 or Chanka at 269-2009.
