6 homeless after fire at Cipero Road

Six people, including two pensioners and two children, seven and ten, are now homeless after a fire destroyed their home on Cipero Road in San Fernando on the night of February 19.

The fire was first seen around 8.30 pm on the first floor of the Nangoo family home at Jordan Hill.

Neighbours alerted the occupants, who were on the ground floor at the time.

The neighbours, along with relatives, immediately began trying to put out the flames by spraying water.

The Mon Repos fire station was also notified.

Despite their efforts, the wooden and concrete structure, along with its contents, was completely destroyed.

The fire officers were able to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby houses.

On February 20, John Nangoo, who lives at the back of the now-destroyed house, recalled the ordeal that left his parents—Sirju, 72, and Seeta Nangoo—his sister, brother-in-law, and their two children homeless.

“Mum and my two nieces were downstairs when the neighbours alerted them. There was water in the line, and we started using buckets and a hose to put out the fire. They lost everything. Somehow, we will have to rebuild,” he said.

“I cannot say how long it took for the fire officers to respond because I was so busy trying to put out the flames. We could not save anything.”

On February 20, Shawn Stevens Premchand, the councillor for Corinth/Cedar Hill, visited the affected family.

He was accompanied by members of the disaster management unit from the Princes Town Regional Corporation.

They distributed mattresses as temporary relief.

“It is unfortunate that a family of six has been displaced. I know it takes a while for people to receive grants, from my experience. Over the past few months, there have been five fires in my district, and those victims are still awaiting assistance from the government,” Premchand told Newsday.

The UNC representative called on the National Commission for Self Help, a state enterprise, to intervene and help all victims of disasters nationwide.

He also charged that UNC-based constituencies do not seem to be benefiting from such grants.