Couple not losing faith despite fire - But looters make off with other residents’ goods

As Charmaine Byfield Goldson and her husband Everton Goldson searched through the charred remains of what was once their two-bedroom house, they marvelled that none of their three Bibles was destroyed.

"Mi lose everything but this will be our testimony at church. We don't have anything to our name because of the fire. Is someone gave my wife a shirt to put on. Everything for us gone but God spare all of our Bibles. This is a sign and it must mean something good is in store for us," Everton said.

The Goldsons are among six families whose houses went up in flames on Bread Lane in Denham Town on Monday evening. Hardly anything of value was saved from the massive fire. It is reported that about 7:30 p.m., it was discovered that one of the board houses was on fire. Twenty-seven firefighters along with four fire trucks from the York Park, Half-Way Tree and Rollington Town fire stations responded to the fire. Even as the firefighters and members of the community tried desperately to out the blaze, it spread to five other houses before it was controlled.

Raheem Brooks, who occupied a one-bedroom dwelling, said while some residents tried to assist, others were looting.

"Mi see people pass mi inna mi clothes this morning (yesterday). You have people a search up people draw a look fi money and other valuables," said Brooks.

"It rough but mi a just 27 so mi ago rise back. The good thing about it, no one got injured. It is like a God make it happen dem early time deh because the amount a cylinder explode nuh normal. So imagine if that did happen when we sleeping," he said.

Cassia Murray also lost several goods from her shop when she tried to help neighbours who were directly affected by the blaze.

"They took mackerel, milk, bully beef, sausages, and even juice. They grabbed a crate I had, along with empty bottles and a crate of beer," lamented Murray. She said that after the Jamaica Public Service cut the power, her motor in the fridge was damaged.

"Mi haffi tek out the meat and juice weh mi did have fi sell and give people fi keep. See mi cover it with the tarpaulin cause mi haffi fix it or something. Mi cyaa dash it weh cause mi ago open up back the shop, cause as you can see, it nuh burn," she said.

Having run the business for over two years, Murray explained the financial strain she will endure due to the forced closure.

"Dem kick down the door completely so mi cyaa pack back the little things weh me save in deh. If mi do that dem ago steal the rest," she pointed out. "Honestly, I am asking for any help to replace the deep freeze because people ago want dem fridge space fi use. Right now I can't afford to replace the fridge and goods."

An official cause for the fire is yet to be established. Sharon Baugh said the only thing that she had managed to spare was a small box with picture frames.

"Right now I don't even eat. Mi sleep a one a mi family yard but mi don't know how mi ago pick up the pieces right now. A just dis little starter box mi save and it just have in some pictures and so on," she said.