New Grant family left homeless by fire seeks help

Having lost their homes to a "suspicious" fire on Friday in New Grant, the affected family members are seeking the public's help to rebuild.

The two wooden houses were on the same compound at Monkey Town Second Branch Road.

Homeless are Alana Isaac, 43, and two of her children, seven and nine. They lived in the front house.

Also homeless are Isaac’s adult daughter, who works as a security guard, and her two children, eight and one. They lived in the house at the back.

Speaking on behalf of the family on Wednesday, Isaac recalled the fire started at her adult daughter’s house midmorning on Friday, and quickly spread to her home. No one was able to save anything.

Princes Town fire and police officers responded, but the fire had already destroyed the houses and their contents.

The family has lived there for the past seven years.

Isaac is a janitor with National Maintenance Training and Security Company Ltd and works at a secondary school in Barrackpore. She said she does not have money to rebuild on her own.

"Down to the water tank was destroyed.

"I had a wooden and metal cart that I was going to use to open a food business. That, too, was destroyed.

"The children cannot go to school because their uniforms, school supplies and everything else are gone," Isaac said.

"My (adult) daughter works hard and is a single parent taking care of her two children. She is crying a lot."

She said the family believes the fire was deliberately set.

She went on, "Anyhow we can get help, we would take it, because we want to rebuild. Right now, I am renting while my daughter and her children are staying elsewhere."

New Grant/Tableland councillor Gowrie Narine Roopnarine told Newsday the Princes Town Regional Corporation’s disaster management unit visited Isaac on Tuesday and gave the family mattresses and blankets.

Roopnarine is also the chairman of the corporation.

The police said the cause of the fire was unknown. So far, they said, they had no evidence to support the claim that it was started deliberately.

Investigations are ongoing.

People who want to help the family can call Isaac at 318-8106.