By Nagra Plunkett, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
SEVENTEEN PEOPLE were left homeless after fire destroyed two houses and damaged two others in Canterbury, Montego Bay, on Thursday evening. The loss is estimated at $3 million.
According to the Montego Bay Fire Brigade, the fire, which began about 5:30 p.m., was ignited when a three-year-old girl who had been playing with a lit candle, accidentally dropped it on a mattress in her home. The fire rapidly engulfed the wooden structure and spread to three adjoining premises, two of which were made of board and concrete.
Firefighters were reportedly slow in their response, complaining that there were no working fire hydrants in the inner-city community. Residents of the area helped to fight the blaze. Assistant Superintendent Dolphin Doman of the Montego Bay Fire Brigade, said they had to truck water from the nearby King Street area. Members of the Ministry of Water's Rapid Response Unit and the St. James Parish Council also assisted.
ASSISTANCE
Councillor Noel Donaldson, Mayor of Montego Bay, told The Gleaner that the council "is definitely going to be rendering assistance to the victims", disclosing that he had already met with the St. James Disaster Preparedness officer along with the councillor for the division.
He said he had also instructed the affected persons to get certification of the incident from the fire department, which is necessary for them to get relief from the Parish Council. The fire victims have been staying with family and friends.
