28.04.2006
- fonte:
THE
JAMAICA GLEANER
FIRE
LEAVES 72 HOMELESS
Bartholomew
Chan, Gleaner Writer
SEVENTY-TWO
PERSONS, ranging in age from four months to 61 years,
including 38 children, have been left homeless following
a fire which razed 21 wooden structures at 12-14 Victoria
Street, Denham Town, west Kingston, about 2:00 a.m. yesterday.A
few minor injuries have been reported.
Residents
told The Gleaner they believe the fire was caused by an
"electrical fault" from overhead cables. In
the afternoon, children, some pushing wheelbarrows, scuttled
around the charred remains of the houses and workmen had
already started erecting timber frames for new structures.
Renford
Smith, a former resident, told The Gleaner that he was
in bed when the 'smoke and heat' woke him. "The first
thing I did was get to my children and shout fire,"
said Mr. Smith."Give
thanks to God that no one perished," added the relieved
father.Residents have lost basically everything, said
Kemma Anderson. The mother of one needed food and clothing
for her young daughter, who slept curled by her mother's
side.
OPPOSITION
VISITS
Councillor
for the Denham Town division, Lorna Leslie, said that
Opposition Leader Bruce Golding had visited the area to
offer support. "He personally called Food for the
Poor," said Leslie. The
councillor herself was thankful to Restaurants of Jamaica
for readily providing chicken that she would be distributing
to the victims.
Workmen
from Contractor Incompar-able Enterprise of which Justin
O'Gilvie is head, worked through the night in a bid to
have 20 new houses ready by today. "This is the fastest
recovery from a fire in west Kingston," Leslie said.
