Cherished memories lost in Buck Up Town fire

A man and his son are now homeless after a fire of unknown origin destroyed their two-bedroom board house and all their belongings in Buck Up Town district near Albert Town in Trelawny on Tuesday night.

While 50-year-old farmer Durvin Jones and his 25-year-old son, Dwayne Jones, were primarily affected, the elder Jones' daughter, Andrea, who lives in Portmore, St Catherine, is equally devastated by what unfolded.

"That house was like a family treasure ... it has been in my family for a very long time. That was where I was born," Andrea told THE STAR. "That house has survived hurricanes and even an earthquake ... it is difficult to accept that it is gone."

According to reports, the father and son were at home at approximately 11 p.m. when an intense heat attracted their attention.

Upon investigation, they discovered that the house was on fire and ran outside to escape the flames.

"They ran out and called the fire brigade in Christiana and the police at the nearby Ulster Spring Police Station," Andrea said. "When they called me, I was distraught. I could hear the fire hissing in the background and I realised that many of my childhood memories were going up in smoke."

While Andrea could not put a dollar value on the damage, she said that in terms of rich childhood memories, the cost was priceless. According to her, a visit to Buck Up Town will never be the same again.

"I am very happy that my father and brother escaped without being hurt. A community like Albert Town really needs its own fire station. Had there been a fire station in the town, it is quite possible that the house could have been saved."