House destroyed by fire in #64 Village, Corentyne Berbice, Guyana. Photo: Guyana Police Force

The victims have been identified as 34-year-old Hemwatie Singh, 14-year-old Kelvin Ramjatan, 10-year-old Brandon Ramjatan, 2-year-old Tomesh Ramjatan, and 11-year-old Cindy Ramjatan.

According to the police report, the fire of unknown origin broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the two-story wooden house owned by 36-year-old Rohan Ramjatan, the husband of Hemwatie Singh. At the time of the incident, Rohan Ramjatan was in police custody, assisting with cattle rustling investigation.

The sole survivor of the tragedy is the couple's 17-year-old son, Kevin Ramjatan, who managed to escape the blaze unharmed. Kevin stated that he was sleeping on the veranda when he was awakened by the flames of the fire, which had started on the lower floor of the house where his father's car was parked.

Kevin immediately ran downstairs, where he found his mother and four siblings awake and attempting to flee the fire. However, upon seeing the large flames in front of the house, they turned back and went upstairs, where they became trapped and are suspected to have perished.

Investigations revealed that the local electricity provider, GPL, had experienced power line issues in the area, with the wires being on fire the week prior and again on the night of the incident.

The Guyana Fire Service responded to the scene around 3:35 am and extinguished the blaze. Among the debris, the five charred bodies were later found and transported to the Skeldon Public Hospital's Mortuary for post-mortem examinations.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, the Chief Fire Officer, Gregory Wickham, and the firefighters of the Guyana Fire Service have expressed their profound sadness over the tragic loss of life.

They have extended their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends affected by this devastating event.

The Guyana Fire Service, in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force, is conducting a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.