By Javone Vickerie Just 48 hours after the entire community of Lodge was shaken by the deaths of two children, who perished in an early morning fire, the mother has since refuted the allegations made by residents that she left her children unattended.The woman, Odessa Thomas, who is currently hospitalized with burns on her hands, told Kaieteur News that about 2:00 am on Sunday, her now deceased son (Adam) woke her up and said that he was hungry. “I tell him that they got fry sausage and bread in the kitchen so he went and he brought for me and him and when we done eat, he go back in his bed,”Adam Marshallthe woman said.According to Thomas, about 3:45 am on Sunday, while asleep, she was awaken by “heat”, which covered her body.“I jump up and I run to the front door and I reach my son (Harold) fighting fuh open it, so I try push it open,” Thomas said.The woman added that after efforts to open the door came to no avail she then ran back for her daughter (Shania), who was sleeping in the bedroom with her.“All of a sudden the whole house end up in flames, so I go back to the room and all meh hear she saying ‘mama mama meh gon dead, ow me gawd’ and like me faint away,” the mother said.She explained that her other child who perished in the fire was asleep in another room but she thought that he had somehow managed to escape the blaze.It was not until minutes later as she watched the fire raging through the building, she was told that he too had been trapped inside.She told Kaieteur News that little Shania could have been saved if assistance was rendered by the person who occupied the upper flat of the building, when she requested it.“When she (Shania) was screaming for help, I was trying to lash the window open. I saw him run down the step and asked him to bend and pick up her and he said that he ain’t picking she up,” Thomas said.The mother also said that another young man came and refused to pull the screaming child to safety.“Everybody just come, stand up and watch, nobody ain’t help,” the mother said.The woman then claimed that another neighbour to her left then took a hammer and broke open the window but when she asked him to pick up the child, he also refused.When asked why she herself did not pick up her daughter and exit the burning house, Thomas said, “after my hands and face were damaged I was afraid to go back into the heat”.She could not say for sure how she managed to exit the burning building, claiming that she lost consciousness for a while.Thomas said that after she regained consciousness, she found herself outside and was told that her two youngest children had perished in the blaze.When asked by this publication about the allegation made by neighbours of her constantly leaving the children unattended, Thomas said, “I did not leave my children alone at home, especially Shania. She is my last child out of six and I love all my children.”When asked about why her dress was not burned or damaged as she was trying to get out of the house, even though her hands were burnt, Thomas said “Me ain’t had on no panty or brassierre because I finish bathe. I told Shania to bring a dress because I felt cold so I put on the dress and she covered me and we both fall to sleep. My dress did not burn it was only my hands and face.”Thomas denied that a fire had almost destroyed her home about two months ago.Shania Marshall.She told Kaieteur News she cannot say what could have caused the blaze but said that when she awoke her son’s entire bedroom was up in flames.There are reports that the fire was started by an unattended candle. The house was without electricity.When asked if she would regularly use candles in the house,Air Max 97 Undefeated White, Thomas admitted but said that she would blow out all candles before she went to bed and switch off her gas bottle.Thomas, who is hypertensive, added that she was taking counseling from the Welfare Department of the Ministry of Human Services, because of one of her children’s misbehavior in school and the community.“I never did anything to ill-treat my children; I never beat them so I took them to welfare for counseling.Thomas said that on July 25 last, persons who identified themselves as Welfare Officers arrived at her home and requested the custody of children. She added that they took one of her sons and she held onto the other one before they left the yard.Meanwhile, an official from the Child Care and Protection Agency had intervened last year after a number of reports were made by residents of Lodge about the children being left unattended. The source confirmed that Thomas had a total of six children residing with her. “The relationship between the parent and the children was very damaging because at one time we received a report that one of the children had one of their eyes damaged,” the official said.It was also noted that the youngest child, who perished in the fire, was then left in the care of her mother who was participating in counseling sessions with the agency. “We had asked her to take part in our sessions but her response to the activity was not good at all. She attended the sessions whenever she felt like and we would constantly receive reports that she would leave the children alone to attend parties,” the source said.During the counseling, the source said that the eldest children were removed and placed into their care while some stayed with their grandmother. “We had a few complications with the children because they would constantly escape from our care and return back home to their mother. So it wasn’t an easy time we had with this family but we never gave up,” the source said.The source added that to their knowledge, only eight-year-old Shania Marshall should have been in her mother’s care.“We had made it clear to the mother that we would have taken charge of the other children temporarily due to their behaviour and try working with them and her to build a better relationship. But she had to work and be home at nights to take care of the smallest one,” the source said.“What happened was really tragic and unfortunate and we cannot condone it,” the official said.However, Director of Child Care and Protection Agency Anne Greene said that Thomas had an issue of being a responsible parent to her children. “It is really tragic what happened to those children but I want every parent to take this as a serious message,” Greene said.Greene added that officials from the agency visited Thomas and her injured son at the Georgetown Public Hospital and conducted an interview with both of them. “The mother told us that she was at home when the fire started and the son who escaped confirmed it… If the investigation shows that she was not at home at the time of the fire, I would recommend that she be charged,” Greene said.Meanwhile, Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told this publication that the Fire Service has not yet confirmed the actual cause of Sunday morning’s fire. Gentle noted that with the two deaths from Sunday, the toll for 2013 has now risen to five.“There are many reasons why fires are caused but as individuals all it calls for is being a little more responsible. I had spoken to some of the crew men and some of them are still traumatized because it is not easy to witness such a thing that time of the morning,” Gentle said.The Fire Chief confirmed that there was no power to the building.
