Fire guts city apartments, nine homeless

NINE PEOPLE were left homeless when fire gutted their NHA apartments on upper Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, early yesterday morning.

The fire started in the building which housed four apartments at  around 7.30 am. It started in the south eastern bedroom of an upstairs apartment and quickly spread to adjoining units. Several of the occupants were able to grab some of their belongings and flee the burning building only to stand and watch the flames. Terry Jones, Ronald Jones and two children, Terrence and Venice, lived in apartment A where the fire started. Apartment B belonged to 65-year-old Wilma Blanc who lived with Sylvia Greenidge. Cynthia Major lived in apartment C, while Lawrence and Michelle Isaac lived in apartment D. They all stood outside the building with tears in their eyes and being comforted by neighbours as officers from Belmont Fire Station and Headquarters on Wrightson Road tried their best to contain the blaze. The operations were under the direction of Acting Divisional Supervisor Serville. Quick work by a crew from TTEC ensured that live electrical wires from the building were made safe so the fire officers could work under less strain. Port-of-Spain South MP Eric Williams was quickly on the scene speaking with the displaced residents and assuring that he would secure housing for them.