DELROY RHOOMS, his common-law wife and three children cheated death yesterday afternoon, when they narrowly escaped a fire which partially razed two tenement yards on Bryden Street, East Kingston.
An emotional Mr. Rhooms said he was in the process of going to a neighbour's house to complete a task when he heard screams and shouts for "Fire! Fire!".
"When I ran inside the house, my baby-mother and the children were fast asleep," said Mr. Rhooms.
He said the fire lit up the sky and pumped out huge gusts of thick black smoke. His baby mother woke in time and rushed outside with one of the children.
"I grabbed another and when a came back for the third, the smoke was so thick, I could not see. I had to feel around on the bed until I find the other child," said a sobbing Mr. Rhooms.
Passport, money and all their possessions went up in smoke. Nobody seemed to know what started the fire. An elderly, hysterical woman said she smelt something like rubber burning, then she saw the smoke and the fire. The firemen in tandem with the residents worked feverishly to prevent the fire from spreading to other premises. Some of the victims said they managed to save pieces of furniture.
The affected houses were premises 10 and 12 Bryden Street. Premises number 12 is occupied by a policeman and his family.
Residents said the fire started shortly after 2:00 p.m., at Number 10. Up to news time last night, Assistant Superintendent Wayne Cameron was unable to ascertain the cause of the fire.
During the blaze, the police maintained a strong presence due to the upsurge of gun violence in the area between rival factions.
