Ten days after he celebrated his 70th birthday, Himraj Dasent died in a fire that consumed his home at Macoya on Thursday.
Speaking with the Guardian Media on Friday, Dasent's niece, Beth said that at about 6.20 pm neighbours noticed fire coming from the upper floor of a split-level old-fashioned dwelling house located at 10 Macoya Settlement.
Neighbours formed a bucket brigade and tried to extinguish the blaze, however, Dasent, who lived alone upstairs the building was found dead on the mattress in his bedroom. He was severely burnt about the body.
One of Dasent's sisters and other relatives lived on the ground floor.
Fire officials are yet to determine the cause of the fire.
Beth said her uncle celebrated his 70th birthday on August 27. She said he was ailing and very weak and they had a caretaker seeing about him daily.
"My mother had taken the day off, who is his sister, and she went that same day and spent time with him. She bathe him and fed him and made sure he was ok before she left to rest. While she was resting a neighbour called her out and told her what had happened. She was shocked because she said 'But
I just leave him good.' All of us are in shock, " Beth said.
She described her uncle as a calm and humourous person, "He was very relaxed and lived a simple life. He was very independent until he got weak and was ailing but he so wanted to get better again so he could have been independent again."
An autopsy was expected to be performed on Friday morning at the Forensic Science Centre in St James. However, up to press time, no confirmation was given as to the cause of death.