3-y-o girl killed in MoBay fire

A threee-year-old girl was killed and her brother hospitalised with serious injuries after a devastating fire destroyed their home at Railway Gardens in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday afternoon.

The dead child has been identified as Ashaine Barnes. Her badly injured brother, five-year-old Shavon Barnes, who is now a patient at the Cornwall Region Hospital, is being treated for burn wounds all over his body.

The children’s mother, Tashan Gordon, who was also at home at the time of the fire, suffered minor burns. She collapsed on realising that her daughter had been killed and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Wycliffe Ogle, the children’s stepfather, who was not at home at the time of the fire, said that he got word of the fire while he was away at work and rushed home, only to be confronted with the rubble his house had become.

“Mi hear seh Tashan come back from shop and come buck up pon the house on fire,” said Ogle. “... Mi tek de mother wid dem and a mi a tek care a dem ... . Mi love dem like a fi mi own.”

According to reports, about 3 p.m., Gordon, who resides at the old Railway Gardens building, reportedly went to a nearby shop where she purchased food items. On her way back, she discovered that her house was on fire.

The frightened woman and other residents ran into the burning building and rescued Shavon.

Firefighters who responded to the blaze managed to bring the fire under control. Following a search of the building, Ashaine’s charred remains were found.

“Me caa believe seh Ashaine really dead. Is a very nice and playful little baby, and mi love har wid all a mi heart,” Ogle said.