Brave passer-by rescues child as three siblings perish in fire
Published:Tuesday | September 6, 2022 | 12:10 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
When popular western Jamaica disc jockey Anthony Laing heard shouts of “Fire!” on Sunday night, he could not imagine the tragedy that was unfolding at his house in Springfield, Westmoreland, where three of his children lost their lives.
Laing told The Gleaner that when he left home at approximately 7 p.m. to conduct business a short distance away, the four children were at a house next door with relatives.
He said that after hearing people raising an alarm about a fire, he was shocked to discover that it was his house that was ablaze.
“Mi hear people a say, ‘Fire! Fire!’, but mi never a pay that no mind because the children dem did over them family next door. I never know that dem come back to the house,” said the distraught Laing.
“Current did gone inna the area so it look like dem light candle or something,” he added.
The victims have been identified as nine-year-old Adrianno Laing, a grade three student at Sheffield Primary School, and his seven-year-old twin siblings Jorden and Jayden Laing, both grade one students at Sheffield Primary School.
The children’s 13-year-old sister, Adrianna ‘Pinky’ Laing, suffered major burns and has been admitted to hospital in a critical condition.
Had it not been for courageous efforts of Danieto Ferguson, who bravely ventured inside the burning house to rescue Adrianna, while the four trapped children cried inside, the tragedy would have been worse.
“I was riding past on my motorcycle and I saw the fire, and I said from there are houses there, it must be one of them on fire,” said Ferguson, an employee of the National Water Commission.
“When I went to the scene, I saw everyone there and some of them was saying that the children were locked inside the house, but when I tried the door, I realised that it was open, and when I looked inside, I saw the little girl,” he recalled. “I rushed in and grabbed her. She had burns everywhere. I heard the other children screaming, but I could not see them, so I pulled out Pinky. I am glad she is alive.”
Firefighters from Westmoreland Division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) in Savanna-la-Mar could do very little beyond carrying out cooling-down operations when they arrived at the scene.
During that exercise, the charred remains of the deceased children were found.
Raymond DeSouza, acting senior deputy superintendent in charge of the JFB’s Westmoreland Division, said that preliminary investigations have not turned up a possible cause of the fire, but noted that their probe will continue, with the assistance of the police.
Westmoreland Western Member of Parliament Morland Wilson, who on Monday visited the scene of the tragedy and met with the grieving father, promised some assistance.
“I will be assisting with clothing, food, and other personal items,” said Wilson. “I also intend to assist with the funeral arrangements.”