Despite heroic rescue efforts: BABY GIRL DIES IN FIRE

RISHARD KHAN

DESPITE the heroic efforts of her parents, her grandfather, neighbours and a crew of T&TEC workers to rescue her, 13-month-old Harley Persad died in a fire in her Endeavour home on Wednesday morning.

Harley was asleep in her crib when a fire broke out at the family’s Egypt Extension, Soogrim Trace home around midday.

Her grandfather, Deosaran Persad, said her parents, Leandra and Hemant Persad, put her in her crib around 10 am after returning home from dropping her five-year-old brother, Liam, at school and visiting the supermarket.

He said everyone was downstairs in various parts of the house when, around 11 am, they realised the room was on fire. They tried to get into the room to save her but all three were injured.

“We made one or two attempts to get into the room but the room was so much in smoke and fire that we couldn’t access or get into where the baby was,” he said. “When I ran upstairs I heard her bawl out once, and as I say, when I saw the volume of smoke, I realised that she couldn’t handle that.”

Christopher Ramtahal was cutting a neighbour’s lawn obliquely opposite the Persads' home and noticed smoke coming from the bedroom window. He immediately ran to his home two houses away, seeking his brother’s help to contain the fire.

“I hear them (the Persads) start to bawl and say, 'The child inside, the child inside.' So we rushed upstairs to see how we could assist,” Ramtahal said. “We take hose, we try to out as much as we could but it was unbearable with the fire inside.”

He said even a T&TEC work crew in the area stopped and tried to rescue the baby, using fire extinguishers from their vehicle to try and quell the blaze.

Ramtahal’s brother, Bobby, showed reporters his hands, bruised from trying to get Harley out.

Ramtahal estimates the fire service took around half an hour to respond.

Although the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, relatives speculate that a fan, which was left running continuously to keep the baby cool, could be a likely source.

Harley’s mother, Leandra, 23, was hospitalised for injuries she suffered while trying to rescue her. Her father, Hemant Persad, 25, was unable to speak to reporters. He was seen gasping and coughing continuously. Relatives said he was suffering from smoke inhalation after trying to save his daughter.

He was taken for treatment and returned home a short while later. While Newsday was present, an ambulance arrived to treat Hemant.

Relatives were also mobilising to get Harley’s grandfather medically examined after he was injured during the rescue attempt and had a persisting cough.

Reminiscing about his only granddaughter, he told reporters he remembered the smile she gave him when the family returned home just before the blaze. He said his fondest memory with her was from the day before.

“I was sitting on the step, putting on my shoes to go out...and on three separate occasions, she came to me looking for hug-ups. So I got three big hugs from her,” he said.

He said it was fortunate her brother was in school at the time of the blaze so he was spared.

Deosaran said Liam wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.

“You know, I’d tell him, 'Lee, I want you to be a doctor,' but he always insist, you know, ‘No, grandpa, I want to be a fireman.’ Maybe he had visions of this,” he said.

When Newsday left the scene around 3 pm, relatives said they had not yet told Liam his little sister had died.

Newsday was allowed to view the damage to the bedroom, without entering, as fire officers were expected to return on Thursday to continue investigations. The bedroom appeared to be completely gutted and the broken frame of Harley’s crib was lying in the right-hand corner as debris from destroyed furniture and clothes smouldered on the floor.

While the blaze was isolated to the bedroom, the entire first floor was damaged. The walls and ceiling were covered in soot ,with some ceiling tiles and its supports collapsing in the hall near the entrance to Harley’s room.

Chaguanas East MP Vandana Mohit told reporters she knew the family well. She said her office would assist the family in any way necessary to help them. She was unable to meet with the family at the time as the parents were receiving medical attention, and the grandfather was assisting investigators.

Mohit was expected to visit the family yesterday evening. She also commended the neighbours and T&TEC crew who tried to save Harley.

Chaguanas mayor Faaiq Mohammed and deputy mayor Melissa Jadoonanan also visited. Mohammed described the incident as “devastating news and very tragic.”

“When you have (a) fire, it damages property but it’s easy to replace and rebuild.

“To replace life, especially of a child, there’s nothing you can do for that. There are no words I can say to console the family at this point in time. But as a corporation, we are all human beings and we are there to lend support.”

Mohammed said he intends to start a programme in schools to educate children on safety practices to avoid accidental deaths.

“I want to go into primary schools especially and teach life-saving skills (like) CPR...what you should do if you fall into a pool,” he said.

He acknowledged these are lessons for adults but said he wants to teach children also if a situation occurs while an adult is not around.

In a release yesterday, the fire service offered thoughts and prayers to the family.