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CCNTV6
  • 2 years ago
A month and a half after their house burnt to an inhabitable state, a Freeport family is seeking your help to piece their lives back together. Here's the story.
Transcript
00:00 Almost two months ago, Nirmala Sakawat got a call saying the home she shares with her
00:07 parents and three siblings was on fire.
00:11 Neighbors noticed smoke coming from one bedroom and they rushed over.
00:15 They couldn't open it up because it was so hot.
00:18 And I think they broke it down.
00:20 When they broke it down, the breeze and everything just caused the fire to just spread rapidly.
00:28 So she, they had to take her out from the house.
00:31 She wanted to go back in her room to get something and they had to actually pull her and tell
00:36 her no, she can't go.
00:38 They managed to remove Nirmala's wheelchair-bound father and her mother before the flames roared
00:44 through the house.
00:45 Firefighters arrived swiftly but could only quell the blaze.
00:49 They said it was unsafe to be in and it was almost 90% damage from the ceiling to the
00:58 floor.
00:59 Even from the day that they came, they had put caution tape and told us not to go in
01:04 there because the walls and everything was so fragile that it could fall at any time.
01:08 From her mother's recollection, the only appliance which was plugged on in that bedroom was the
01:14 fan and their PVC ceiling fueled the blaze, leaving little usable.
01:19 From the two front rooms, only the two bed base, that's the only thing good right now
01:27 because the water one thing, with the heat and the water, everything was completely destroyed.
01:33 And everything that the ceiling burned and fell on, the mattress was damaged because
01:39 of the ceiling.
01:42 The family has been split up, seeking shelter at their relatives' homes nearby, but the
01:48 structure they have been advised must be reconstructed fully.
01:52 We applied for a house rental grant and a clothing grant and they said they would give
02:00 us a temporary food card as well.
02:02 It's only for one month.
02:04 You all got through to anything yet?
02:07 Nothing as yet.
02:08 The guild said it takes up to three months before.
02:11 Their losses didn't end there.
02:14 Nirmala's mother, Sandra, began to grieve.
02:17 She said she worked hard and sacrificed for 20 years to build a house and in 20 minutes
02:23 she has washed off the entire house, walk and flames.
02:28 Without the courage to stomach the sight of the damage firsthand, she never set foot in
02:34 her home again.
02:36 About two weeks after the fire, the matriarch of the family died from a heart attack.
02:41 As this Freeport family surveys their loss and starts from scratch, some things they
02:46 see are a no-no.
02:47 The PVC ceiling is definitely a no-no for anybody because some people who came told
02:55 us that even in insurance companies they don't insure properties with PVC ceiling.
03:01 So it's a very hazard, maybe very risky.
03:07 You never expect it, a pan could have gone on your house and away.
03:11 If you can help this family piece together their lives again after seeing a double loss,
03:17 you can contact them at 789-8859 or 349-4273.
03:25 Rupeshi Tiwari, Rupnirain, TV6 News.
03:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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