Neighbourhood watch alarm as elderly die in fires
Published:Wednesday | September 29, 2021 | 2:41 AMRasbert Turner/Gleaner Writer
Ina Rankine would have turned 100 on December 4. But a mysterious fire on September 22 dashed hopes of a centenary celebration for the elderly woman who died in her home on Old Road in Kitson Town, St Catherine.
Rankine, who was alone at the time of the fire, could not move independently, which complicated her rescue, mournful residents said. The fire started about 6 p.m., the Guanaboa Vale police reported.
The mood in the close-knit rural community was sombre as householders and passers-by looked on at the gutted board structure.
“We attempted to get her, but the front door was locked,” David Johnson said.
“We couldn’t go round the back. The fire was blazing like a living hell. This is a wicked death! Imagine that she couldn’t help herself.”
Rankine’s fiery demise has triggered a wake-up call for community groups and state organisations have been urged to rally around vulnerable Jamaicans who live in at-risk residences.
Jean Lowrie-Chin, founder of Carribbean Community of Retired Persons, expressed concern about the susceptibility of disabled or ailing senior citizens who may find it difficult to quickly respond to a fire.
Rankine’s is not the only such recent death.
On August 28, Madge Davis, 75, died in a house fire in Marlie Acres, St Catherine, and on September 8, Angela Green, a 69-year-old market vendor, succumbed to injuries sustained in a blaze at her residence in Cherry district, Kitson Town, a week earlier.
Lowrie-Chin said that state agencies such as the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management also have a role to play to enhance the security of elderly persons who are among the most vulnerable.
“The problem is widespread and must be an important item on the country’s agenda,” Lowrie-Chin said.
“I am recommending that the police resuscitate the neighbourhood watch and that within that set-up, there is a special component which will protect the elderly within the respective community.”
Meanwhile, Michael Archer, of Archer’s Funeral Home, was disconsolate as he recalled how Rankine, who once worked at a property in Guanaboa Vale, St Catherine, would give him food as a child. He was remorseful that the 99-year-old missed out on her 100th birthday by less than three months.
“Dis will never happen, as di house burn and a pure sadness take we. I remember her as a very kind lady,” said Archer.