Six people, all related, including a two-year-old girl, died in a fire that destroyed a residence on Homestead Street, which left most of the victims burnt beyond recognition, according to the police.
The victims were all found dead in the bathroom of the small four-room structure, head of fire services Superintendent Walter Evans said. The fire started just before 2 a.m.
Investigators have not ruled out arson, according to Evans, but because the investigation is ongoing, he could not say what started the blaze.
Next door neighbor Magloi Belidor told The Nassau Guardian that he heard a woman who was trapped inside the home screaming for help.
Belidor said he and other neighbors tried in vain to extinguish the fire with buckets of water before firefighters arrived.
“I was in the room sleeping and I heard someone holler and say, ‘help,’” Belidor said.
“When I [came] out. . .I see the fire through the east window, and I [pulled] the door open. When I [opened the door], in there [was] full of fire. I couldn’t get in there.”
When firefighters arrived, they met the small home engulfed in flames, police said.
Police did not release the identities of the victims yesterday. However, relatives identified two of the victims as Jennifer Barrett and her two-year-old daughter Joshinique King.
The small community was hit hard by the tragedy. When The Nassau Guardian arrived at the scene shortly after the fire started, neighbors and relatives of the victims screamed in anguish over the deaths.
Princess Barrett, Jennifer’s sister, also lost her niece, her aunt Marylin and three cousins in the fire. She said she lived in the home but was out of the house when the fire started.
“I didn’t sleep home,” Barrett said. “My best friend called me, she lives right next door, and she told me the house was on fire [and asked] if anybody was in there. I told her I wasn’t home; I don’t know. Then I came home shortly after.”
Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage, who visited the scene with Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade, a contingent of senior police officers and Minister of State for National Security Keith Bell a few hours after the blaze, called the event an “unspeakable tragedy”.
Nottage spoke to reporters after he laid a wreath inside the destroyed home. He explained that area MP Glenys Hanna-Martin was out of the country and added that he wanted to see the damage firsthand on her behalf.
“All we can do is offer our condolences and whatever services are necessary to help them through this transition period and try to do everything we can to ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” said Nottage, who was visibly shaken by the deaths.
While he said he did not know what caused the fire, Nottage said the proliferation of extension cords, which homes in the community use to share power, are a fire hazard.
“There are some things that I think contribute to incidents like this, and we think we see some evidence of it here,” he said. “I think the fire chief is very likely to give some advice to the people around here about how they can prevent circumstances like these from recurring.
“Many of these communities you go into you will see these extension cords and the vehicles rolling over them, sometimes they go across the street and there is no
question that that is a recipe for problems.
“I can’t say that is what happened here but I noticed that there are cords running across the ground.” Nottage said.
Marie Winters Lloyd, who identified herself as an aunt of some of the victims, also visited the scene yesterday afternoon.
She broke down in tears as she made her way through the debris.
“I miss them; they’re gone,” Lloyd, 70, said as tears streamed down her face. “They grew with me. I took care of those children [until] they became grown. I did the very best I [could.]”
“We had good communication and a good relationship, basic understanding.”
Other relatives, who lived nearby, were also at the scene yesterday but were said to be too grief-stricken to speak to reporters.
By: Taneka Thompson
Guardian Senior Reporter
