Man loses home in St Augustine fire

A St Augustine man has lost his home after it went up in flames on Wednesday afternoon.

The man, who declined to speak with the media, looked on in distress as officers from the Tunapuna fire station put out the last of the blaze at his Clifford Street home.

He was not at home when the fire started, but a neighbour contacted him.

One onlooker, who requested anonymity, told Newsday she was walking nearby when she and a colleague noticed smoke coming from the house.

She said the fire spread quickly.

“We shouted to the neighbour that the place next door was on fire,” she said. “We asked if anyone was in the house, but no one was (and) we didn’t see anyone run out.”

Fire officers on the scene told Newsday no casualties were reported and it was too soon establish what caused the fire.

The eyewitness said she ran across the street to a nearby bus shed for cover when she saw the electricity lines overhead start sparking.

She said the fire started at around 2 pm.

A neighbour, who also requested anonymity, said she was working from home when she heard someone calling from outside.

“I came out to see what it was and who it was, because of their tone.”

She said there was no noise or scent of smoke to alert her that there was a fire next door.

“By the time I recognised what was happening, I asked my daughters to call the fire service and the police service. I was in bewilderment.”

She said strangers told her to leave her house as the fire inched closer to their property and the two 100-pound gas tanks on the side of the house.

“If the fire service did not respond as quickly as they did, this would have been a different story.”

She said the fire service arrived within three-five minutes of  being called.

She was thankful her neighbour was out at the time.

“He was the one I was scared for. I couldn’t help but think of that other family, so he was my first concern. Thank God he was not there.”

The Burke family of Rookery Nook, Maraval, lost three children in a fire that destroyed their home last week Monday. Two of the children escaped. Their parents were not home at the time of the fire.