Man dies in fire

WESTERN BUREAU:

ONE OF three fires in Western Jamaica over the weekend has resulted in the death of a 19 year-old man, bringing to nine the number of persons killed by fire in sections of Western Jamaica and 18 islandwide since January.

The two other fires in Linstead, St. Catherine and Waltham Park Road, St. Andrew destroyed a seven-apartment house and a commercial building between Saturday night and yesterday morning, the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) reported.

The latest victim of the fire in Western Jamaica, Lincoln Campbell, of Crawl district in Hanover, was said to have been wanted by the Green Island police for maliciously destroying his mother's house sometime last year.

The police said he fled the district and since then has been hiding at the house in which he perished in the fire on Saturday.

Residents reportedly saw fire coming from the four-apartment board house at about 2 a.m., but their efforts to put out the blaze were unsuccessful. One unit from the Lucea Fire Station arrived at the scene, but by then the house had been destroyed. During a search among the rubble, Campbell's charred remains were found. Police said loss is estimated at $1 million and the house was not insured.

The residents criticised the Fire Department for the long time the unit took to cover the 12-mile journey from Lucea, and have called for a sub-station to be built in the area.

In another incident at about 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, fire believed to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit destroyed a three-bedroom house at Bluefields in Westmoreland. The house was the property of the National Works Agency (NWA) and was being occupied by Wesley Miller, a 40 year-old mechanic who is an employee of the NWA.

Mr. Miller and his wife Marcia Tatham-Miller, a teacher, were awakened when their daughter started crying. Mrs. Miller also heard sounds coming from a rear bedroom and upon investigating saw fire coming from the roof.

The Millers ran from the house, but the fire spread quickly, destroying the building and its contents along with a 1989 Isuzu pick-up, which was parked in the yard.

In Gutters, St. Elizabeth, fire destroyed a two-apartment board house at about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. No one was injured.

On Thursday, Abraham Wedderburn, 85-year-old pensioner and his step-daughter Faye Pinnock, 50, of Farm Pen district in Westmoreland, perished in a fire which destroyed their two bedroom house.

Neighbours said they heard them crying for help and on investigating saw fire coming from the house. Residents who went to their assistance were unable to enter the house as all doors and windows were grilled. It was learnt that Mr. Wedderburn and Miss Pinnock could not find the keys to the grilled doors when the fire started.

Meanwhile The CCN said the fire which destroyed a seven-apartment house at Channers Lane, Time and Patience district in Linstead, was believed to be the work of arsonists. Police said that at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday residents reportedly heard an explosion and saw fire coming from a section of the house. The Linstead Fire Department was summoned and a unit put out the blaze.

Then at about 1:30 yesterday morning, residents reportedly saw fire coming from a building housing Carmen's Paper Products, Mack Tracs and Rapid Printing at Waltham Park Road. A unit from the Half-Way Tree Fire Department put out that fire.

The police said the extent of the losses were yet to be established in both the cases of the Linstead and Waltham Park Road fires.

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