Fire derails young woman’s small business

While many may have welcomed 2021 in the best of spirits, it was the complete opposite for Ayana Humber, who is still grieving major losses from a fire that gutted her family home on Love Lane in downtown Kingston, nearly two weeks ago.

"On new year's morning, people usually wake up with their resolutions and things to look forward to. But I don't even know what to look forward to. Me just a live not knowing where my life is heading, because I back to zero," Humber told THE STAR.

As Humber thought of the agonising day, she couldn't help but cry. The 25-year-old had recently started an online clothing store in an attempt to feed her family. Everything was destroyed.

"I recently came back from overseas with some stuff and started my online business, because, after I left UWI (University of the West Indies), I never wanted to just sit home and not do anything," she said. "I did manage to sell a few, but majority of the stuff burnt out. So all that I invested, I lose that."

The December 23 fire left more than 30 persons homeless. Humber said many things were going through her head as the fire engulfed her three-bedroom dwelling.

I was crying

"I was crying, my mother was crying and running back inside to save stuff. I was telling her to just come out and leave the stuff," she said. Unlike others, Humber and her mother were able to save a few important documents, a TV and a mattress.

Humber said they were sorting out some clothes to give to charity when she heard a neighbour say "fire".

"So me run out a my house a try help him. But, by time me must help him with the pan of water, him say it too late, so I should try to save my house, and me run go inside and say 'Mommy, fire!'. But, by this time, the fire was already behind my house and it's raging, so everything just started to burn," Humber said. There has been no official word on the cause of the blaze.

Though she is back at rock bottom, not knowing how and when life will revert to normal, all hope is not lost.

"We have to rebuild our home, because we are staying with my aunt now, but I don't know when that will be. So I'm just praying all goes well," Humber told THE STAR. "I'm down and lost right now, but I pray things to be better, because I would say I'm stronger now and I want to be in a position to help someone who might be a fire victim."

Anyone who wishes to assist Ayana Humber may donate to account #305233838 in the name Ayana Humber, at the Half-Way Tree National Commercial Bank branch or GoFundMe https://gofund.me/912a2427.