‘Where is my brother?’

RELIEF soon turned to worry as relatives of 42-year-old Rupert Andrews could not find him on Monday night shortly after they learned that he escaped a fire which gutted his home at Maxwell Lane, Calvary Hill in Port of Spain. The fire began at 10.20 pm.

Andrews who is blind, was in the house when the fire started, but managed to run out of the building and alerted relatives to the fire. Relatives and neighbours said they last saw him running down Calvary Hill sometime afterwards.

Newsday went to the house on Tuesday and spoke to Rupert’s older brother Allison Andrews, 64, who said he is very concerned for the safety of his brother, who could not be found up to midday. Both men live in the same yard but in different houses. Andrews said he was already in bed when he heard screaming coming from his brother’s house.

“I haven’t seen him since last night. I went to the Port of Spain General Hospital up to this morning to enquire if he was taken there by a passerby but there wasn’t anyone at the hospital by that name.

“On my way back from the hospital some people in the area told me that they saw him.

"My son lives in the house where the fire started.
I went looking for Rupert but up to now I can’t find him. I was told that a car came and picked him up but I am not sure how true that is. If something like his hand was burnt well then he needs medical care.”

Andrews said he has nine other brothers and it was possible that one of them could have picked up Rupert, but he could not get into contact with any of them to confirm as the electrical connection to the house was damaged in the fire and he was unable to recharge his cellphone.

“I don’t know if that is the case. It’s worrying me. I left my phone with my son who went to get it charged, and (Rupert’s) phone was burnt up in the fire, so I can’t call him and ask where he is.”

“I suffer from high blood pressure so all of this has been trying on me and my family. I can’t take on too much stressful things. This is a whole disaster.” He said  he had no photos of his brother they werel all  destroyed in the fire.

Andrews said his brother became blind after years of deteriorating vision and said if found he would be in need of immediate social assistance for living quarters.

Fire officers from the Wrightson Road and Belmont Fire Stations were called in and extinguished the blaze. Newsday also understands that TTEC technicians had to be called in to disable the power lines at the house. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained.