Pensioner burnt to death

An 83-year-old woman perished when fire destroyed her wooden home at Ganges Trace, Success Village, Laventille early yesterday.

Alma Millington was at her home with her common-law husband Norlton Thomas when the fire broke out in a bedroom of the wooden house. A grieving Thomas told Newsday that around 3 am, he was asleep on the western side of the house while Alma was on the eastern side. He added that he was alerted to screams coming from Alma’s bedroom. Thomas said he tried to pry open a gate leading to the bedroom but the fire spread so quickly that he was unable to rescue his wife.

The grieving man pointed out that he ran out of the burning house and looked on in shock and disbelief as the flames consumed the house. Fire officers who rushed to the scene were unable to save the house but they ensured that flames did not spread to the other homes in the area. The charred remains of Millington were removed to the Port-of-Spain mortuary. Fire officers suspect that the fire was started by faulty electrical wiring. Thomas told Newsday that he lost everything in the fire and was unsure of his future. He said the clothes he was wearing when the fire started were all he has left.

The grieving man described Alma as a person who had no children and who was ailing from high blood pressure. He said that she was a quiet person who troubled no one. He has ruled out arson. Yesterday, residents of the area promised to assist Thomas with temporary accommodation. They are calling on Government to set up shelters throughout the country to assist persons who become homeless as a result of fire or flooding. Officers of the Besson Street Police Station are investigating.