Marlon Vickerman, Gleaner Writer

A distraught Elizabeth Gordon stands amid the remains of her board house at 45 Chestnut Lane, Denham Town, West Kingston, which was destroyed by fire yesterday. Miss Gordon, along with nine other family members, are now homeless. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Ash and tears were all that remained after fire yesterday gutted a five-room dwelling at 45 Chestnut Lane, Kingston 14, leaving 10 members of a west Kingston family homeless.

The fire, which reportedly began around 11:00 a.m., destroyed the house.

When the news team visited the scene at noon yesterday, smoke still lingered in the air as firefighters from two units attached to the York Park Fire Station scurried about putting out flames while several bewildered, teary-eyed residents and onlookers watched in disbelief. But, the damage had already been done.

Elizabeth Gordon, who occupied the house with her husband and other family members, said she was not on the premises when the fire started.

We lost everything

"I was at a shop nearby when I heard someone saying that my house was on fire. All I could do was stand and watch the blaze. When I ran to the gate, I could not go around there because I am allergic to the smoke (asthmatic)," said an obviously distraught Gordon with tear-stained cheeks. "We lost everything ... just look ... TV, fridge, fan, dresser, sofas, pots, everything gone."

Charred remains of kitchen utensils, chairs, appliances, shoes and pieces of baby clothing littered what was left of the family's once humble abode.

Almost sitting amid the ash, one of Gordon's daughters, Neisha wept openly and bitterly. Her twin sister, Keisha, explained that among the number of items the untameable flames consumed was her sister's (Neisha) testimonial, which she was memorising to recite at her baptism next week.

Barrington Marshall, district officer at the York Park Fire Station, said the cause of the fire is still unknown.