Supernatural link in fiery death of two children

IN THE absence of a rational explanatation for the cause of a fire in which two children perished on Monday at San Fernando, some relatives of the deceased children have pointed to the supernatural, which they believe was responsible.

Relatives told Newsday yesterday that in the very room in which the fire started Monday, another fire mysteriously occurred some four years ago. Yesterday, as fire officers returned to inspect the remains of the gutted house at Papourie Road, Duncan Village, relatives recounted details of the previous fire.  That incident, they said, occurred mere days after the death of another relative who lived in the house. According to Kenneth Baptiste and his brother, Anthony, who both lived in the house but have now moved out, said four years ago their nephew, Edward, died of a “mystery illness” on Valentine’s Day and when they returned to the family’s house from his funeral, they discovered a mattress in the bedroom afire.

Kenneth and Anthony are uncles of the deceased children’s mother, Annalisa. Anthony, a fire officer attached to the Siparia Fire Services, recalled: “The fire was above the bed like it was suspended in the air. Nobody was in the house or nothing, that just happened by itself.”
Jamaal Baptiste, 16, one of the relatives who had tried in vain to rescue the two children from the burning house two days ago, also recalled the incident. The relatives offered the explanation to Assistant Divisional Fire Officer (ADFO) Anthony Alexis and Ag ADFO Curwin Callendar, as they attempted to sift out clues to the cause of the blaze. The mother of the children, Annalisa, spent hours yesterday giving a statement to police at the San Fernando CID. She was said to be reeling from the shock which claimed the lives of her two youngest children, Tisha Friday, five years old, and Tricika, five months old. Annalisa, reports said, was washing clothes outside the house — mere feet away from the bedroom where her daughters perished.

The fire authorities were able to ascertain that the fire began in a room at the eastern side of the house, while the children were found in a bedroom on the west end. During the interview, the relatives also revealed some two years ago the family experienced problems with the electrical system in the house. San Fernando CID investigations attributed the fire to someone playing with matches.
Investigations are continuing.