Eight left destitute after fire levels homes in Kingston

A travelling peddler, who is among eight persons left homeless after fire destroyed their homes at Fleet Street in Kingston on Friday, is pondering her next move after her goods and $16,000 – the last of her savings – were also lost in the blaze.

“I don’t know what fi do. Is mi last money mi spend. A $30,000 mi spend fi go buy goods and mi nuh done buy yet,” said the woman, who gave her names only as Juliet.

“The whole a mi money bun up, the whole a mi goods bun up,” she lamented as tears welled in her eyes.

Juliet explained that she had just returned from Montego Bay, St James, with $16,000, which she had made while peddling goods in Ocho Rios, St Ann, and at a football match in Montego Bay between the Reggae Girlz and Paraguay.

Noting that she sells items such as flags, horns and handkerchiefs at football matches, Juliet said she was looking forward to the return leg on Sunday at the National Stadium in Kingston, but that plan has gone up in smoke.

The woman told The Gleaner that she was inside her house when one of her grandchildren alerted her to the fire, but she did not believe the child.

She said that when she eventually saw the fire and smoke she “turned idiot and couldn’t move”.

But she quickly recovered her senses and called two young men in the community to try to help her in putting out the fire and they assisted the children out of the home as the flames spread.

Her daughter, Shadae Martin, who also lives at the premises with her three children – ages one, eight, and nine years old – said she is most concerned about the little ones as they were not able to save anything for them.

Martin said that she had left her mother at home with the children and had gone to a nearby shop when she heard that her house was on fire.

While expressing sadness at the fire, Martin said she is thankful that no one was hurt.

She is, however, appealing for help with food and clothing for the children.

Her mother, on the other hand, said she would be thankful if persons could assist her with at least $20,000 to replenish her stock so she can still attend the match tomorrow and earn some money to help rebuild her life.

Linton Williams, who also lost his home in the fire, said he was sitting on a bridge in the community when he heard about the fire. However, he said he could not save anything, as he suffered a stroke four years ago, which left him without mobility on his left side.

“A di one suit pon mi back mi have. Mi nuh have no place. Mi no have nutten,” he told The Gleaner. “All mi $3,000 wa mi did have fi buy mi food and mi cigarette fi sell gone, so me would want likkle assistance.”

A tearful 83-year-old Adinna Hibbert said she ran through the blaze to save herself and was giving thanks to God for the strength to survive without injury.

“I was sitting down in the house on a chair and I see some smoke and then when I look out, I see the blazing fire. I just run through the fire ... ‘cause if I didn’t run through it, I wouldn’t be here right now ... . God is God.

“Everything gone. Only thing I save is two foot a different shoes. Nothing else,” she said.

The fire, which started about 12:45 p.m., destroyed four dwelling houses, a furniture shop and a motor car.

Five adults and three children were said to be homeless as a result of the fire, which was put out by units from the York Park, Half-Way Tree, Rollington Town and Trench Town fire stations.

The Jamaica Fire Brigade said an investigation is being carried out to determine the cause of the fire.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com