Dad, 91, son, 65 die in fire

Their deaths increases the number of senior citizens who have perished in fires to four, over the last 30 days.

Lucky to escape from the inferno were Shiva Swaratsingh, his wife, Melly, son Sanjeev, 15, and daughter, Samara, who is 12-years-old.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday, yesterday, Swaratsingh said he was alerted that something was wrong at their 23 Thavenot Street home when he heard noises coming from upstairs which Samuel, his grandfather, and Kenneth, his uncle, occupied.

“I had gone to bed at about 11.30 pm when I heard the noise.

I thought it was bandits because they robbed me of my car three weeks ago. I heard my uncle’s voice and sounds coming from the ceiling which was part concrete, part wood.

“I went outside and walked to the side and looked to the back of the house where his room was situated, and that was when I saw there was fire coming out from upstairs. We don’t know what caused the fire because they did not use candles or lamps, and there were no electrical problems,” Swaratsingh said.

Swaratsingh said his children were traumatised by the incident as they heard their relatives screaming as the fire engulfed them. The wooden floor collapsed on to the ground floor and Swaratsingh said he feared that little or none of their belongings could be salvaged.

What Swaratsingh was questioning was the response by the Fire Services.

“I can’t exactly recall how long the response from the Fire Services took. They came here I believe in a reasonable time, but the water in the tender lasted about five minutes. I heard people saying that the tender was not full.

“When they (fire officers) were going upstairs they were told not to go up although there were two people trapped upstairs. They did not have equipment, they were using a broom to break windows, they did not even know where the fire hydrant was located,” he said Swaratsingh said he did not want to sound harsh or criticise the Fire Services, but felt better could be done.

“My grandfather and uncle have already gone, but if these things can be fixed, it would be a good thing,” he said.

Swaratsingh estimated the family’s loss at about $1.2 million.

Now homeless, he said his wife and children would move in with his in-laws in Sangre Grande, while he would be staying with his father until other arrangements could be made. Sunday Newsday was advised that fire appliances from Tunapuna and San Juan fire stations responded to the emergency but it was too late as Samuel and Kenneth were found dead and may have died smoke inhalation. Officers from the Arouca and Tunapuna police stations also went to the scene. Autopsies are expected to be conducted tomorrow at the Forensic Science Centre, St James.

Chief Fire Officer: Make homes fire proof too Chief Fire Officer Roosevelt Bruce, in extending his condolences to the bereaved relatives yesterday, appealed to families to ensure that together they regularly practise fire escape routines to avoid such tragedies.

“Families must practise a fire escape routine,” Bruce told Sunday Newsday as he called on citizens to put a plan in place in all homes in case fire breaks out.

“Rehearse it on a regular basis.” Bruce also warned against installing burglar-proofing in homes without any escape routes through the same spaces they have barred up.

“Also when installing burglar proofing, you should always ensure that at least one window per room is hinged and the keys kept close by.

You should practise using that burglar-proof to get out, so that if that if a fire occurs, it will not be the first time you are trying it.” Bruce said in most cases that is not being done in homes and often upon inspection investigators realised that there are no hinges on burglar-proofing.

It was only on Independence Day, last Wednesday, that pensioner Jaglal Rampersad, 73, burnt to death inside his room on the ground floor apartment of his home at St Croix Road, Princes Town.

Rampersad’s charred remains were found during dampening operations carried out by fire-fighters of the Princes Town Fire Station who received assistance from Mon Repos Fire Headquarters, San Fernando.

A police report stated that at about 2 am on Wednesday, neighbours reported hearing loud explosions and saw Rampersad’s son Alexander Baksh and Baksh’s common-law wife, Chantal Huggins, jumping through the window from the top floor.

An alarm was raised but by the time the fire appliances arrived, the entire ground floor was engulfed in flames.

They were informed that Rampersad never made it out.

And on August 3, Jean McLeod, a stroke victim who for the past 14 years had been laid up in bed, perished in the fire at her home in Sixth Company, New Grant.

The efforts of her husband Alfred Mc- Leod, 82, to save her were all in vain and he too suffered severe burns about the body and was warded at hospital.

Neighbours had to pull Alfred out the house through a window to save his life. The family’s four-bedroom home and thousands of dollars worth in compressors, other pieces of heavy equipment along with two cars that were stored in a painting/ straightening garage in front their home were also destroyed.

A total of $60,000 hidden under a mattress to purchase more equipment also went up in flames.