New house underway for Claxton Bay fire victims

RELIEVED: Joycelyn Nelson looks on as volunteers work to rebuild her Claxton Bay home which was destroyed by fire two Sundays ago.  - Lincoln Holder
RELIEVED: Joycelyn Nelson looks on as volunteers work to rebuild her Claxton Bay home which was destroyed by fire two Sundays ago. - Lincoln Holder

The first major phase of a new house for the the Claxton Bay family who lost their original home to fire last week,was completed Sunday. More than 20 men worked on finishing the concrete foundation for the house. The Nelson family breathed a sigh of relief as repairs of their home started with a solid foundation in place at Hibiscus Drive off Sookoo Trace.

Latoya Nelson, 31, said they were moved to tears to see how many people are assisting them in their time of need.

“Since Sunday last we when the house was destroyed by fire people have been coming to us and offering help. Many brought foods and groceries and we were lucky to get accommodation from our neighbours and relatives as we had no place to go.”

Nelson said she was happy that officers from the National Commission for Self Help heeded their call for assistance and has since delivered materials in the form of bricks, cement, and steel. “We are thankful to Self-Help and the MP for the area, David Lee who provided mattresses and food hampers, as well as the Social Welfare office,” she said.

With the concrete foundation completed, Nelson said, they will need to get more bricks, steel, and cement to rebuild the house. Ten members of the Nelson family were left homeless after fire gutted their five-bedroom two-story house on Sunday last. The family consists of Joycelyn Nelson, 64, and nine other persons including four children, aged four, ten, 12, and 16.

The family spent the entire week at the homes of friends and relatives. “We are praying for the home to be completed so that we can be together as a family,” Nelson said. The family lost all their furniture, appliances, utensils, and books in this fire.

Nelson extended thanks to the Charles, the Martinez, Kumar and Humphrey families whom she said have been there since the fire started to the cleaning up of the debris to the construction.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical problem. The cost of damages at this house is in excess of $300,000.

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"New house underway for Claxton Bay fire victims"

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