Fire-bombings continue AT LEAST 15 persons, including children, were displaced yesterday after their homes were fire-bombed in an early morning attack. The torching of the tenement dwelling on Upper King Street, Fletcher's Land, is an apparent continuation of the reprisal attacks in sections of the city's west end, despite efforts by representatives from the island's two main political parties -- the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) -- as well as the security forces to stem the violence. Patricia Foster, a mother of three, sustained injuries to her hands and feet while trying to escape from the blaze. Two of her teenaged sons said they had to jump from the second storey of the premises to save their lives. Reports are that an undetermined number of armed men struck at about 3:00 a.m., entering the premises on Orange Street, then threw several molotov cocktails (bottle bombs) onto the roof of premises at 155G Upper King Street. The fire razed a wooden upstairs apartment, before firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control. Member of Parliament for West Kingston Edward Seaga, who visited the area to talk with affected residents, told reporters of attempts to fire-bomb at least five other premises in Fletcher's Land and other instances elsewhere in the constituency. Police sources suggested that yesterday's attack was a spin-off from a bloody feud between factions of the JLP stronghold in Denham Town and the PNP-dominated Hannah Town and Wilton Gardens (Rema). According to the police, there is also a vendetta between residents of Orange Villa and Fletcher's Land following a spate of killings in both communities. Last Wednesday, a 27-year-old man, Samuel Richards, from Orange Villa, was gunned down along Orange Street. Allegations are that he was killed by gunmen from Fletcher's Land. Police reports indicate five homes being fire-bombed over the past two months in Wilton Gardens and Denham Town and according to Mr. Seaga, there have been further attempts to fire-bomb seven more in Denham Town. Pointing to recent fire-bombings, Mr. Seaga said there seems to be a campaign of fire-bombing across his constituency. The Opposition Leader has also questioned the appeals for peace made by PNP leaders at their conference on Sunday. "Every time the PNP calls for peace something like this (violence) happens. I don't know when they say peace, what they mean, but this has to stop," said Mr. Seaga.
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