Freelance video journalist Ramdeo “Hero” Heeralal, whose daughter Rheia was killed in a fire while trying to save him and his wife will have to have reconstructive plastic surgery. Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Heeralal’s other daughter, Rheisa, 30, who also suffered burns in the fire which destroyed their home at corner Sapphire and Topaz Avenue, Cunupia, said her father was conscious and doing well in the Intensive Care Unit at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Mount Hope.
Rheisa said her father would undergo further treatment and observation for the next seven to ten days, at the end of which doctors would decide whether or not they would have to proceed with plastic surgery. “Both his eyes were scorched and he is experiencing blurred vision and a lot of pain but he is coming along very well,” Rheisa said.
Rheisa, who is also warded at the EWMSC, was attended to by doctors yesterday afternoon. She said she was also recuperating at a satisfactory rate. Asked if Heeralal was aware that his younger daughter died in the blaze, Rheisa replied: “Yes, we all knew at that point. Daddy is very saddened and in a state.”
According to a police report, at about 5 am on Tuesday, Rheia, a 24-year-old school teacher, woke up from sleep to the smell of smoke and alerted both her parents. Heeralal attempted to extinguish the flames without success. Her mother, Nardaroon, told the T&T Guardian Rheia later became trapped in the kitchen area and Heeralal, 60, had to give up an attempt to rescue her due to the severity of the flames.
Fire officials said yesterday investigations were ongoing and they were still yet to determine the origin of the fire.