Nalisa McKenzie, a mother of two, decided to risk everything she owned on Monday evening when she intentionally set her Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home ablaze following an argument with her brother.
This publication visited the scene on Tuesday and spoke to McKenzie’s relatives who explained what transpired.
Dianne Johnson, the woman’s cousin’s stated that McKenzie had an argument with her brother with whom she and her two children shared the home.
But while Johnson is unsure of what caused the argument, she added that around 23:30h, the woman made the first attempt to set the house on fire by placing clothing on her gas stove. However, a relative intervened and put the flames out.
Mackenzie, determined to finish what she had started, then ventured into her bedroom and reignited the flames, which completely destroyed the one-storey wooden structure located at Lot 28 Sisters Village, WBD, and scorched another house situated in the same yard.
“She and her brother had this argument, and she went upstairs and put some clothes on her gas stove and light it…she go into the bedroom and she lock the door, front and back and light the fire in the front room,” Johnson explained.
The cousin shared that after committing the act, the mother of two fled before Police ranks and firefighters arrived at the scene.
“When I came out here is didn’t see her… her house was already gone and they were trying to assist in bucket brigade and so on here, before the fire reel got here.”
Meanwhile, McKenzie’s brother, Matthew Thomas told this publication that this was not the first time his sister committed such an act, while noting that he was not at home when the fire started.
“This is normal thing, she burn down a house before…I stand up at the corner and I hear the shouting, the fire start first and dem boy out the fire, she lock up the fire and start a next fire.”
