Fire guts abandoned house in San Fernando

AN old wooden structure was gutted by fire on July 11 in San Fernando, but the quick response of officers from the Mon Repos Fire Station prevented the flames from destroying an unoccupied house next door.

For the past few years, the now-destroyed house on Rushworth Street, next to Stylus Furniture Ltd, had been frequented by street dwellers. The neighbouring house sustained scorch damage.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

A neighbour, who requested anonymity, said she heard a loud noise and, upon looking out her window, saw the structure engulfed in flames around 11.45 am.

She said the house was about 100 years old. The occupants or owners had passed away many years ago, and the property became abandoned. However, homeless people began frequenting the house vzia a back entrance over the years. T&TEC had disconnected the electricity some time ago.

"All kinds of different people used to go there from the back. The front had burglar-proofing, but the back didn’t," the neighbour said.

Ryaad Hosein, councillor for Les Effort East/Cipero, visited the scene. He noted that the abandoned house had long been a concern owing to its use by street dwellers.

“This is what we are trying to avoid in the city of San Fernando,” he said. “At this point in time, we are trying to either demolish these properties or contact the owners to get them demolished. That’s the only way we can really secure these places within the city.”

He added that the property holds significant value owing to its location.

“For some reason, some people tend not to take care of properties. Sometimes they go abroad and leave them unattended, asking a neighbour to check in on it.”

Although the cause of the fire is still unknown, Hosein said there could be many possible sources.

“It could be a candle, a lamp, a cigarette, so many different things,” he said.

Asked about the number of unoccupied houses in the city, Hosein said an assessor from the San Fernando City Corporation was at the time compiling data and attempting to locate the respective property owners. He noted there were about 30 abandoned properties within the city, based on a survey done earlier this year.

“The corporation cannot just go in and demolish the structure. We have to write and try to contact the owners. We often ask neighbours to help us locate them,” he explained.

“These are good homes. They could be refurbished or if they have to be torn down, we will do so. If we reach the owners, they can handle the demolition. If not, we try to assist them in the process.”

Police from the Southern Division, as well as T&TEC personnel, visited the scene and gathered evidence.

Investigations are ongoing.