Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 19/Nov 19:58

Prison officer, 3 elderly relatives homeless after Tabaquite fire

A prison officer and three elderly female relatives are now homeless after a fire destroyed their homes on the same compound near the Tabaquite Secondary School on the afternoon of November 18. Rishi Ramlal, 45, his mother, Chandra Sammy, 74, and her two sisters, Sita Sammy, 67, and Tulsie Sammy, 76, lost all their household items in both structures. Sita lived in the concrete two-bedroom structure at the back, while her nephew and her two sisters lived in the front wooden and concrete structure at Emmanuel Junction, Guaracara/Tabaquite Road. The only area spared by the flames was the kitchen, which is at the side of the compound. Relatives said the gas tank was not responsible for the fire. The fire broke out in the wooden structure at the front around 1.30 pm, while the sisters were under the house. Sita said she smelled smoke and ran upstairs, where she saw curtains in the back structure on fire. In the front structure, her two sisters and Ramlal's 13-year-old son, who was visiting, saw the flames and rushed to safety. "We couldn't do anything. We had to run. I thought I could have saved something, but the fire was too big. If you could have seen the nice curtains I had bought for Christmas... but everything is gone to ashes. We were born and raised here," Sita told Newsday on November 19. Sita added that her nephew had left to buy car parts when the fire started. He returned to find the houses in flames. No injuries were reported, and despite their loss, the affected family expressed gratitude for their lives. "The main thing is that we have life. We thank God for that," Sita said as she looked at the ruins of their home. Neighbours also helped by throwing water to prevent the fire from spreading while waiting for fire officers to arrive. Officers from the Chaguanas Fire Station responded and extinguished the blaze. Sgt Andrews, PC Mathura, and WPC Kennedy of the Brasso Police Station were among the first responders. In the interim, they spent the night at a relative's home in the area. Sita said councillor Henry Awong, of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation, visited the family. She said the family would be grateful for help to rebuild. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. PC Mathura is continuing inquiries. The post Prison officer, 3 elderly relatives homeless after Tabaquite fire appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.