The dry season proved to be fatal for La Romaine retiree Michael Chadee whose burnt corpse was found inside his home on Monday evening.
Investigators said Chadee, 67, was probably asleep when a bush fire along Allahar Street destroyed his wooden and concrete house. An autopsy yesterday said he died from inhaling toxic fumes, consistent with fire.
According to reports, officers from the Mon Repos Fire Station responded and put out the fire.
Neighbours said Chadee had left home during the morning period. The fire started shortly after lunch and around 3.30 pm when firefighters responded to another report of fire along Allahar Street, they had to cover a wider area. As they swept through the bushy terrain, they discovered Chadee’s home where he was found him dead inside. Investigators said the house had no electricity.
A neighbour said no one saw when Chadee returned home and suspected that he might have been sleeping when the fire reached his home.
Chadee’s nephew Ramesh Ramsawak said relatives had only learned about his death yesterday and were in shock. Speaking at his home in Fyzabad yesterday, Ramsawak said his uncle had survived illness and surgery and it was sad to see him die like that.
“He lived quietly. This is a shock for me. I know he was good after his surgery and for him to burn in his house like that, something has to be wrong,” Ramsawak said.
He said his uncle owned a photo studio before he left Trinidad to live abroad with his family. Years later, Chadee returned to Trinidad without his family and worked at a mobile phone outlet. When he turned 65, he was not able to get his government pension and took up construction jobs. (KF)
