12 homeless after fire in Marabella

Twelve people, including six children between two and 12, became homeless on Sunday night after a fire destroyed their rented apartments in Marabella.

The fire began at Jack Street at around 9.15 pm. The two-storey house was completely gutted. There were no reports of injuries.

Two men lived on the top floor, and two families – each a couple with three children – on the ground floor.

When Newsday visited on Monday, only one member of the families from the ground floor was there.

Darion Guy, 32, said he, his wife Nikesha Guy, and their three children had returned home from church moments earlier.

While inside, he smelled smoke, and realised the house was on fire. Guy, a construction worker, said they had to flee to safety.

His wife was in the shower but got out and ran, wearing a towel.

“Everything was on fire. My wife did not even finish bathing.

"The children are tramautised. We lost everything,” he said as he looked at the ruins of his home.

Guy said he had lived there for over 25 years and now has to start from scratch to provide for his family.

From what he was told, the fire started on the top floor.

Marabella West councillor Michael Johnson said he was told about the fire shortly before 10 pm on Sunday and went to the area.

He was told a man and his son lived on the top floor and the two families on the ground floor.

Johnson said he contacted the disaster management unit of the San Fernando City Corporation and members provided temporary relief.

He said he also intends to seek further help for the victims.

“We have a meeting tomorrow, and I will ask the council for support, as little as it is, because I know we are strapped for funding,” Johnson said.

“I have also spoken to the MP’s office (San Fernando West constituency), and staffers are working in tandem with me, the families and the Social Development Ministry. So it’s a collaborative approach.”

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigations are ongoing.