Christmas joy goes up in flames for Kingston families

As she clutched her three-week-old son to her chest, a teary-eyed Shaneika Stewart tried to speak to THE STAR yesterday, but there were no words.

After a few seconds, she muttered "It rough". Stewart is among 35 persons who are currently homeless after fire destroyed their dwellings along Georges Lane in central Kingston on Monday. She stated that she was inside her two-bedroom dwelling when a neighbour frantically told her that she needed to exit the house as the building was on fire.

"All I could do was grab the baby and rush out. The other children were outside already," she said.

Reports are that fire was observed coming from one of the premises about 6:15 p.m. It quickly spread to other sections of the property. The police and the fire brigade were notified and units from York Park, Half-Way Tree and Trench Town fire stations attended to the blaze. The cause of the blaze is still unknown.

Stewart's partner Richard Brown sat barefooted where his doorway once was. He used a sheet of tissue to wipe blood away from his left sole, stating that he was injured while trying to out the flames. He said he was at work when he got the devastating call that their house was on fire. He commend the residents who assisted in securing some of their furniture.

"Seventeen years mi live here suh and this is where mi raise mi family. Is five of us live here including we three children. Everyone feel it and not just me alone. This is a big family place with over 35 people homeless and we a talk 'bout over one dozen children. All a we a family. All of us buy up for Christmas and all mi little daughter save up her money and buy up her pepper light and everything just gone," Brown said.

Brown said the displacement weighs heavily on his mind and he is highly concerned about Stewart who recently gave birth and should be resting.

"She have to sleep at people yard last night (Monday). As a man, yuh know mi nah go comfortable with that but mi thankful same way. Right now she just a cry suh, although she a try to be strong. The other two children have to stay with dem grandmother and mi have to hold it outta door as man, yuh zeet. Mi just haffi give God thanks say nobody nuh get injured or dead," Brown said.

His cousin and neighbour Shakeim Campbell said he has lost the only house he has ever known.

"Mi a 26 years old and is here suh mi live all mi life. All of we a family and we lose it all. Right now all of this building, both upstairs and downstairs, have to lick down and build back. But we don't know how we gonna do it. Christmas a just days away so everybody buy up dem tings and gifts. Mi manage to save some furniture but the house gone," he said.

Central Kingston's Member of Parliament Donovan Williams met with the affected residents yesterday, handing out care packages and relief supplies.

"We are assessing the damage to see how best we can help them. What we are going to do first is supply response, as they need stuff, and then we are going to assist in clearing the rubble. We are also going to see how best we can assist with materials to reconstruct. We are also going to invite representatives from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation to look at the properties to see if they can assist in any way with social housing," he said.