6 homeless after blaze

The second tragedy to hit the Woods family in three days, the fire started at 2 pm and left Ann Marie Woods and her five children without a home. Woods’ husband Cuthbert Belfour died of cancer on April 7.

Woods was not at home when the fire began, but three of her children were in the house. They managed to escape unhurt, but the building was completely destroyed.

According to reports, smoke was seen coming from the roof of the building. Within seconds, eyewitnesses said, flames quickly spread throughout the house, engulfing the building.

Residents immediately notified the San Fernando Fire Station and formed a bucket brigade in an attempt to bring the fire under control and prevent its spread to nearby houses.

By the time the fire brigade arrived on the scene, the building was burnt to the ground.

Woods, who had gone to San Fernando on business, said the family had not been able to salvage anything from the house.

“We lost everything — food, clothes, schoolbooks—everything. We couldn’t save nothing at all,” she said.

She said the loss was made even harder since her 49-year-old common-law husband had succumbed to liver cancer last Friday.

A distraught Woods said her five children – Teshisa, three, Shelly Ann, 13, Kahisha, 17, Kenwin, nine and Melissa, 21, would now have to spend the night at the homes of relatives and friends until she could rebuild the house. She pleaded for assistance from members of the public.