Mother, Four Children Perish in Fire at Corentyne
November 12 2024 – A devastating fire of unknown origin claimed the lives of a 34-year-old mother and her four children early Tuesday morning at #64 Village, Corentyne.
According to a police report, the family’s tragic loss occurred while the children’s father, 36-year-old cattle farmer Rohan Ramjatan, was in police custody, assisting with a cattle rustling investigation. The family’s eldest son, 17-year-old Kevin Ramjatan, was able to escape the blaze unharmed.
The inferno, which destroyed a two-storey wooden house owned by Ramjatan, began around 2 a.m. Kevin, who was sleeping on the verandah of the house’s upper flat, awoke to find flames consuming the lower level where his father’s car was parked. He quickly descended the stairs and tried to alert his mother, Hemwatie Singh, and his siblings—Kelvin, 14, Brandon, 10, Tomesh, 2, and Cindy, 11—who were attempting to flee.
Upon finding their path blocked by intense flames at the front of the house, the family retreated upstairs, where they were trapped. Tragically, all five are believed to have perished in the fire.
Residents revealed that the area had experienced electrical issues, including a burning power line last week and again the night before the fire, raising questions about possible connections to the tragedy.
Despite escaping uninjured, Kevin faced difficulties in contacting emergency services, as he had no phone and neighbors were unresponsive. He eventually reached his grandmother’s home, alerting relatives, but by the time they returned, the home was fully engulfed.
Firefighters arrived at 3:35 a.m. and worked to extinguish the blaze. Among the debris, they discovered five bodies believed to be those of Hemwatie Singh and her children. The remains have been transported to Skeldon Public Hospital’s Mortuary for post-mortem examinations.
The police have confirmed that as investigations continue, the father, Rohan Ramjatan, remains in police custody, and Kevin is assisting authorities as they seek to determine the cause of this heartbreaking fire.
