10 children among 20 homeless after Beetham fire

Twenty people, including 10 children, are homeless after a fire destroyed seven houses at 25th Street, Phase Four, Beetham Gardens on Friday morning.

Fire officers said they received a report of the fire at around 11.30 am. Fire officers of the Wrightson Road and Belmont fire stations, together with members of the Inter Agency Task Force and TTEC technicians, went to the scene and outed the fire.

Newsday spoke with Melissa Ramdhanie, one of the people in one of the houses when the fire started.

She said she was resting after a trip to the Port of Spain General Hospital when she realised the house was on fire.

"I was a little dizzy after taking some tablets so I lied down. But I smelled the smoke and heard something like explosions, so I jumped out the side window of my bedroom immediately otherwise I and my daughter would have been burnt up.

"I just want back some assistance for what I lost. I'm not sure where I can spend the night tonight. My daughter and I will have to sleep at the roadside. I don't have a clue how this started."

Investigators said six of the seven homes affected by the fire were destroyed.

Newsday spoke to acting Chief Fire Officer Marlon Smith who said while the investigation into the cause of the fire was still continuing, he suspected the source may have been electrical.

"When they (fire officers) arrived, the fire was already going strong. Six buildings were already destroyed. We suspect it was of electrical nature, but the investigation is still going on."

Smith said despite minor injuries due to smoke inhalation, no one was burnt or seriously injured.