Fire to ‘jep’ nest causes house to burn down

A LA BREA family — comprising a woman and her five children — are now homeless after the children accidentally set fire to the house while trying to burn Jack Spaniard nests, which were attached to the walls of the small structure. The children and their mother have since been seeking temporary refuge at relatives’ homes until they could find a new home or rebuild. The children’s mother, Marsha Bartholomew, was not at their Three Hands Village, La Brea home when the fire started.

According to police reports, the children were trying to set fire to several jack Spaniard nests hanging from the ceiling of their home at about 8.30 am, when the ceiling caught fire. The terrified children, whose ages range between two to ten, ran out of the burning house. Neighbours formed a bucket brigade but their attempts to extinguish the flames were futile. Units from the Pt Fortin Fire Station and Southern Division Fire Headquarters responded to the blaze but arrived too late to save the burning house. Damage to the house and household articles was valued at $100,000. La Brea police are investigating.