Teenager dies in early morning fire

AN 18-year-old boy awaiting CXC results was burnt to death early yesterday morning after a fire of unknown origin completely destroyed a two-storey house at Annisette Street, Laventille, police said.

The teenager has been identified as Keston Simon. His 42-year-old mother, Monica James, sister of entertainer Curtis “General Grant” Grant, told Sunday Newsday yesterday that if the firefighters had responded in time, her son might have been alive today. Police said around 1 am yesterday occupants of the house heard a crackling sound after which they discovered that the house was alight. Simon was reportedly asleep in the upstairs portion of the Government house with his mother, and three other siblings — Shaquille, 10; Shermaya, 6, and Diamond, 22 months. Neighbours, on seeing the fire, attempted to pull Simon out of the blaze, but were unsuccessful because of the heat, James, mother of seven, said. A report was made and a party of officers headed by Cpl Thomas and including PCs Wayne Charles and Mervyn Edwards of the Besson Street Criminal Investigations Department (CID) responded to the call. A Fire Service official said they received a call around 2.04 am yesterday. Tenders from Wrightson Road Headquarters and Belmont, under acting Fire Station Officer (FSO) Bruce responded to the call and found the building well alight. The fire official said the blaze was later extinguished after which Simon’s badly burnt body was found. District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr Clarke pronounced him dead and ordered his body removed to the Port-of-Spain mortuary.

At a relative’s house where she spent the remainder of yesterday, James told Sunday Newsday that the firefighters came more than a hour after neighbours called. Even so, James said, when the firefighters arrived on the scene, she informed them that her son was inside, but that they paid her no mind, until the fire was put out. “I insisted to them that he was there,” she said. Chief Fire Officer Lennox Alfred and his public relations officer John Springle could not be reached for comment on this up to late evening.  James said just before midnight she got up to make a feed for her youngest child, Diamond. After, the grandmother of one said she checked her children and realised that everyone was inside and went back to sleep.  Soon after, she said she heard the screams of neighbours. “I jumped up and saw the whole place white,” James said, adding:  “I called out to Keston ‘fire, fire’, but he never answered,” she said. “My son burn up.  I have nothing.  I have no food, no clothes, no shoes, no milk, no pampers, everything burn in the fire,” James said, at which time her brother, “General Grant” gave her a comforting hug. James said her son worked at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) as a construction worker with N&H International Caribbean Limited. He was a student of the Belmont Boys Secondary School, and was waiting on CXC results. The woman said she could not say what caused the fire, saying she did not leave anything on, that there were no electrical problems and that she had no quarrel with anyone to suggest that it was arson. “My son is gone but I need help to get my life back together,” James pleaded with the relevant authorities. Fire officials said the Fire Prevention Department will continue the probe to determine the exact cause of the blaze.