Seven homeless after Freeport fire

Seven persons, including a three-year-old girl, were rendered homeless when a fire of unknown origin swept through their Freeport home on Thursday evening.

According to police reports, Olga Warrick, 67, of Mission Road, Freeport was tending to her parlour, situated on the ground floor of the house, when a next door neighbour reported seeing smoke coming from a bedroom located on the southern part of the house. Warrick, who suffers from arthritis, was home alone at the time and, with assistance from her neighbours, immediately evacuated the house and called the Fire Services. Neighbours also formed a bucket brigade in an effort to save the house, but by the time the Fire Services arrived some 30 minutes later, the house, valued at some $200,000 had been completely destroyed.

When Newsday visited the scene, a shocked Warrick was still trying to come to terms with the sudden tragedy. She said that the family had lost everything in the blaze, including all of the stocks that were in the parlour. Cuddling her granddaughter, Kimberly, Warrick said that she was thankful that no one had been injured in the blaze. Warrick, together with the other occupants are staying with friends and neighbours. PC Romel Persad of the Freeport Police Station is continuing investigations.