At least 16 people were without homes after a raging fire burned through sections of downtown Kingston early Monday morning. Several houses were destroyed by fire, which also caused millions in damages.
The blaze ignited around 8 a.m., engulfing houses along Charles Street and Luke Lane. According to a report, many residents were at work or away from home, per local news reports. Residents at the scene worked desperately to contain the fire by dousing the flames with buckets of water, but the fire quickly spread to nearby homes.
According to the Jamaica Observer, a resident named Kelly-Ann Dixon, who was affected by the fire, gave a tearful explanation of how she saw the fire while hanging out laundry. “When we saw fire around the yard, we called for help, and everybody came, and we were throwing water… but we couldn’t save anything more. Ah, just mi fridge alone mi save out deh,” she said.
Firefighters from the York Park Fire Station responded with four units to battle the inferno. Acting Assistant Superintendent F. Bennett confirmed that eight families were displaced, comprising roughly 12 adults and four children. Along with leaving families homeless, the damage that the fire left behind cost approximately $10 million, according to Bennett.
Councillor for the Tivoli Gardens Division, Donovan Samuels, suggested the impact could be even greater, estimating around 30 people had been affected. “It has been bad, really bad. People have lost everything because they weren’t on location; they were at work or doing something else and didn’t realise there was a fire,” Samuels explained, per Jamaica Observer.
Authorities have promised support for the victims. Samuels indicated that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security would conduct an assessment to determine the immediate needs of the displaced residents. “The damage is extensive; the authorities will have to see what we can put together to assist these families,” he added. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
