An investigation into the deadly Christmas morning fire which claimed the lives of a Linden woman and her two nieces, has found that the fire was maliciously set. Police investigators are now expected to treat their investigation as a murder case.

Fire Prevention Officer, Sheldon Sauns, told News Source that after a thorough examination of the debris and all available evidence provided to the Guyana Fire Service, it is conclusive that the fire was maliciously set by a person, or persons unknown.

30-year-old Kezia Lawrence-Bailey was at home with her two nieces, 16-year-old Angelique Lawrence and 8-year-old Ronika Lawrence, when tragedy struck.

The bodies of the three were discovered in the bathroom of the house.

A post-mortem examination conducted on the bodies found that all three died from smoke inhalation.

Fire investigators were at the scene of the blaze over the past three days, going through the rubble and gathering additional evidence.

The Fire Service in Linden responded promptly to the emergency call for help on Christmas morning when smoke was seen billowing from the house. The firemen were able to douse the building quickly, but by the time they got into the house, the woman and the two young girls were already dead.

The nurse reportedly went home from a late night shift at the hospital to be with her two nieces who were visiting her for the Christmas holidays. The Linden community has been left shocked and devastated by the tragedy.

Police investigators are expected to question the dead woman’s estranged husband about the blaze. The couple recently separated and the wife obtained a restraining order while complaining about repeated threats and abuse from the husband. The two got married just over two years ago and shared a young baby. The baby was at a babysitter at the time of the tragedy.

The investigations are ongoing.

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