18 homeless after early morning fire

The fire started at about 4 am at the back of the house and quickly spread throughout the structure.

One of the occupants, Learie Stoute, said he and his wife Shantel Jagessar were asleep when he heard people shouting, “Fire, fire!” He said he looked outside and saw the raging fire.

Stoute said he and his wife fled to safer ground and looked on helplessly as the fire gutted their home. The building is owned by Dawn Stoute.

Other occupants of the house said they were alerted to the fire when a pet parrot began making a lot of noise and a dog began barking furiously. When they awoke, they discovered the upper part of the building on fire. They had just enough time to escape the flames.

“We are grateful to the parrot and the dog because were it not for the noises they made we could have been trapped in the house and could have all died,” said a member of the family.

Officials from the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission visited the burnt out structure and carried out checks. The Arouca police also visited the scene.

Investigations are continuing.