Noel Thompson, Gleaner Writer

Sixteen-year-old Kemeisha McKay of Hopewell, Hanover, mourns the death of her three-year-old brother Oral Cunningham, Jr., who died in a fire at his home in the district on Sunday. Police say the fire was started by the child's father, Oral Cunningham Sr., when he was refused entry to the house. The child's mother, Desrene Hewitt, 35, higgler, and a family friend identified as 'Dwayne', were admitted to hospital with burns to sections of their bodies. - Photo by Noel Thompson

Western Bureau:

The District of Hopewell in Hanover remains in a sombre and tense mood following the death of a three-year-old boy on Sunday.

Oral Cunningham Jr. perished in a fire at about 11:30 a.m. when his father, Oral Cunningham Sr., reportedly got into a fit of jealousy after he was refused entry to the house and set it ablaze.

Police say Mr. Cunningham went to visit his child, but was denied entry to the house by Desrene Hewitt, the child's mother, a 35-year-old higgler. Mr. Cunningham issued threats, left the area, then returned shortly afterwards with a substance resembling gasolene in a bottle. Eyewitnesses say he smashed a window to the house, emptied the contents from the bottle inside and set it ablaze.

Ms. Hewitt, her daughter Kemeisha McKay, Oral Jr. and a family friend identified as Dwayne, 25, were all trapped inside the house. Kemeisha said she managed to escape through a back door and, during her bid to escape, she remembered that her baby brother was still inside the house.

"I ran back inside the house to save my brother," a weeping Kemeisha told The Gleaner. "But I slid in the gasolene on the floor and fell, the smoke started burning me in my eyes and all over my face and it became unbearable so I had to run back outside."

Kemeisha broke down intermittently during the interview.

She said the family friend, Dwayne, who was inside the house, had fire on his back and hand and was unable to rescue the baby. She said her mother was trapped on the veranda as the keys to the grilled gate could not be located. Kemeisha noted that neighbours had to pry apart a grill to a window to rescue her mother.

"We tried to rescue the baby but the fire was too unbearable," Kemeisha said.

Mr. Cunningham has since telephoned relatives informing them that he was going to hang himself, having learnt that his only child had died in the fire.

Meanwhile, Inspector David Ebanks, the crime officer in charge of Hanover, has confirmed that the search for Mr. Cunningham remains in effect.

When The Gleaner visited the community on Monday, anger and emotions enveloped the atmosphere, there were mixed reactions from relatives and residents, who said the relationship between Ms. Hewitt and Mr. Cunningham had been strained for some time. They said he felt jilted in the affair. But Kemeisha told The Gleaner that the relationship had gone sour since July of this year.