Eight left homeless

TWO fires over the weekend destroyed a supermarket and a house in Central and South Trinidad respectively in separate incidents. In one fire a man suffered severe burns and was hospitalised, rendering him and seven of his relatives homeless. Around midnight yesterday, fire almost completely gutted the Chatoorgoon Supermarket at Southern Main Road, Enterprise Village in Chaguanas. Police said that a fire of unknown origin destroyed the grocery store after it caught fire around 12.39 am. Owned by businessman Indar Chatoorgoon, police said the business place, a two-storey concrete structure, had been closed for stocktaking and had not been occupied by anyone since the Christmas holidays.
 
Residents, according to a fire report, saw smoke coming from the building after it was engulfed in flames. Fire tenders from the Chaguanas Fire Station responded and attempted to put out the blaze. The value of the building was estimated to be approximately $750,000 while the stock, all of which was destroyed, was said to be worth $300,000. Police said that firemen have not determined the cause of the fire, but told Newsday yesterday that preliminary investigations seem to suggest that the fire was not accidental. At Parforce Road, Gasparillo, firemen from the Mon Repos, San Fernando Fire Stations, responded to a fire around 11.30 pm on Saturday and attempted to put out a blazing two-storeyed concrete and wood structure. Firemen were unable to save the building. When Newsday visited the scene yesterday, a distraught Beverly Wilson, 37, said that the house was occupied by herself, Desmond Ferguson, 42, Hazel Ann Wilson, 19, her (Hazel Ann) three-month-old daughter Joshelle, Rondell Wilson, Rosy Ferguson, Rachel Victor 20, her (Victor) 21-month-old daughter, Mya, and Malcolm Grant. Wilson (Beverly) said she lived on the upper floor with Ferguson, Hazel Ann and her daughter. The rest of the family members lived downstairs, she said.

Wilson said that around 11.10 pm, the family was asleep when Ferguson alerted them to smoke coming from the top floor. Wilson said the family quickly evacuated the building, but Ferguson apparently remained inside in an attempt to put the fire out. He may have become trapped by the smoke, the woman said. Neighbours rushed into the house and rescued Ferguson Wilson, but by that time the building was already ablaze. An ambulance arrived on the scene and rushed Ferguson to the San Fernando General Hospital. Police said that Ferguson’s received burns to about 45 percent of his body. Wilson said that the family lost all their household appliances, furniture, clothes and schools books which were estimated at $150,000. Ferguson was treated yesterday at the San Fernando General Hospital Intensive Care Unit.