Fire leaves 20 homeless in Old Harbour, probes ongoing

An early-morning fire last Friday left 20 members of a close-knit family homeless in an informal settlement along Burke Road in Old Harbour, St Catherine.
The fire, which was first detected some time after 3 a.m., razed 11 mainly board houses, leaving 14 adults and six children with very little personal belongings. At least three vehicles parked in the vicinity were also burnt.
The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force are investigating the cause of the fire. While police say there is currently no evidence to suggest arson, some victims believe the blaze may have been deliberately set.
On Monday, Sherika Hawes recalled being awakened by frantic cries that there was a fire.
“The fire did not reach to my room as yet so I went back inside, took some rubbish bag with some clothes, food items and medication and ran down there,” she said, pointing to the rear of the property.
Hawes said she received help to get her visually impaired daughter to safety at a neighbour’s house as the flames rapidly spread across the compound.
“I was over there for some time before the fire truck came,” she said, noting that the wait seemed like more than half an hour.
Although declining to elaborate because of the ongoing investigations, Hawes told The Gleaner she believes someone was responsible for the fire.
Asked whether she believed someone wanted the family removed from the property, she responded with a resounding “yes”.
According to Hawes, the compound is an informal settlement, but the families had been taking steps to regularise their occupancy.
ONGOING DISPUTE
Another individual associated with the family, who requested anonymity, also suggested the fire stemmed from an ongoing family dispute. However, Deputy Superintendent Ramaro Rankin, commander for the Old Harbour police, said investigators have not found evidence to support claims of arson.
“The investigation is ongoing from the police angle as well as the fire department. We are not suspecting it to be the work of arsonist(s), but there is a possibility that it could be attributed to electrical means,” Rankin told The Gleaner.
Efforts to obtain comments from the JFB were unsuccessful as calls to Superintendent Dennis Lyons went unanswered.
The displaced households have been staying at different locations in Old Harbour as community members and organisations continue to provide them with food, clothing, and other essential supplies.
Among those offering assistance on Monday was Old Harbour Primary and Infant School principal George Goode, who has three of his students affected.
“We are here to give support to the families and we have other agencies collaborating with us, including the Longville Park Kiwanis Club, so we have brought a number of gifts to the family to make the process of recovery a little easier for them,” he said.
St Catherine Custos Icylyn Golding also visited the families on Monday.
“We are concerned as to where they stay, especially the children,” she said, encouraging more community members to assist the displaced families while commending those who have already contributed.
The Gleaner understands that St Catherine South Western Member of Parliament Everald Warmington has committed $200,000 to each affected household, while People’s National Party caretaker, Dr Kurt Waul, has offered to assist with the clean-up operation once the investigators give the go-ahead.
ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com