‘I will miss my brother’

Arietas’ brother, J’Coll, three and a half years old, died in a fire which broke out at his grandfather’s wooden house at Upper Paramin Village, Maraval on Sunday at about 5.30 am.

When Newsday visited the home yesterday Justin was seen among relatives very quiet, speaking only when spoken too.

When asked what he would remember most about his brother he said: “He loved to play catch and rescue with me, also video games and remote control cars. I loved him very much and I will miss him plenty, we were really close.”

Justin said that he was asleep at the time when the fire broke out: “I don’t really know what happened because I was sleeping but when I got up I heard the people around saying that J’Coll died in the fire. My mummy and daddy and everyone else were crying but I am not a baby, I didn’t cry.” Parents Calvin Arietas and Camille Rooks were not at home yesterday as they were out at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

The victim’s grandfather and owner of the burnt house, Leger Celestine, yesterday made a desperate plea for any kind of help, including for the funeral: “The child father is a farmer, planting cabbage and patchoi and the mother works as a packer at Caribbean Bottlers and we, the grandparents are pensioners. We would appreciate if we can source any kind of help, especially for the family to get back on their own two feet, with a house and of course for the funeral, there is so much we could do right now.” Newly appointed Public Relations Officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, District Fire Officer Kenrick Bethelmy yesterday confirmed that the blaze was caused by an electrical fault, “The investigating team have completed their investigations and what was revealed was that the fire was because of an electrical problem in the house.” Anyone wishing to assist the family can contact J’Coll’s aunt Silma at 629-2757 or 315-8665.