Eight homeless after South fires

EIGHT persons, including five children, were left homeless when fire completely destroyed their homes in separate incidents. The first incident occurred in La Romain on Sunday, and the other at Ste Madeleine Village, near San Fernando, yesterday. According to a police report, around 10.15 am on Sunday, a wooden house at Betsy Street, valued at $40,000, was completely gutted. The house was occupied by Gillian Williams, her common-law husband Fitzgerald Lewis, and their five children — Paul and Nikisha Despot, Kevin Williams, Vena Doyle and Latisha Stapleton.

Fire officials from the Mon Repos and San Fernando Fire Sub-stations quickly responded to reports of a fire, but were unable to put out the blaze. San Fernando Fire Station officials said the blaze may have been caused by faulty electrical wiring. As a result of a strong breeze at the time, the windows of an adjacent house were also affected by the fire.  The fire at that house, which was owned by Williams’ sister, Sheila, was eventually brought under control. The windows of the concrete and wooden house were destroyed. Estimated damage was valued at $2,500.

In an unrelated incident, at about 12.30 am yesterday, Barry Brown, 25, a labourer of Lambie Street, Ste Madeleine, was boiling eggs, when his stove exploded. A police report stated that Brown left the eggs boiling, and went to the living room to look at television. He fell asleep and awoke at around 1.30 am, when he smelled smoke. The report stated that when Brown found the pot with the eggs had caught afire, he ran out of the house. Within minutes, the entire wooden structure valued at $50,000 was consumed by flames. Total estimated value of losses in both fires exceeded $90,000.