Fire at Lady Hochoy Home —

Fire officers from the Four Roads Fire Station were called out to extinguish a fire at the Lady Hochoy Home, Cocorite, on Sunday night after a blaze was discovered in the laundry.

By the time fire officers arrived on the scene, the equipment housed at the laundry was already destroyed while two dormitories were water soaked. The lost equipment was valued at $2 million and up until late yesterday, it could not be ascertained how the fire started. Reports revealed that around 9.30 pm, smoke was seen coming from the laundry and officials of the home alerted the fire department. The children who are housed at the home were alerted to the fire and they were told to obey specific instructions to avoid being injured. After less than 45 minutes, the blaze was extinguished and the fire was prevented from spreading to other parts of the home. The laundry department houses special laundry units and equipment which are used for bulk washing of clothing.

Fire Officer Nanan of the Four Roads Fire Department interviewed several persons at the home on Sunday and statements were recorded yesterday. Fire prevention officers returned to the home yesterday and tried to find out how the fire started. The laundry, which is located on the north eastern side of the building, contained a quantity of expensive equipment and clothing. A faulty transformer is suspected as the cause of the fire but this could not be confirmed. The Lady Hochoy Home is valued at $3 million. It houses 120 children and five staff members who were at the home when the fire started. Sister Bertille who is in charge of the home could not be contacted yesterday for comment. Some of the children were relocated to other parts of the home yesterday as cleaning up operations started. Officials at the home told Newsday that the incident caused some of the children to become scared but they were comforted and the situation is now under control. Newsday learned that steps are afoot to have the laundry rebuilt and new equipment purchased.