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Early morning fire leaves seven homeless
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| By: Stanford Conway, SKNVibes |
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AN early Wednesday morning fire has left a Godwin Estate family homeless, saving only the clothes on their backs and one bed, and leaving a 20-year-old hospitalised.
Reports reaching SKNVibes state that the Godwin Estate home of Debbie Duporte was partially destroyed by fire this morning (July 22) and she suspects it to be arson.
Speaking to the head of the home, this media house was told that the fire started shortly before 2:00 a.m. and was extinguished by a unit of the Fire and Rescue Services based in Sandy Point.
Duporte said that she went to bed and left her 20-year-old son, Darren, watching a television show. “However,” she added, “he must have fallen asleep on the floor and was awaken by a burning sensation in his left side and right foot. I heard when he shouted out, ‘Ah wha dis, ah wha dis!’ And on hearing him in this loud tone of voice, I immediately jumped out of bed and I smell smoke.”
Duporte said that on opening her bedroom door, she saw the southern door to the front of her home on fire and her son told her that the eastern door was also on fire.
“Even though he was burnt, Darren assisted me in waking the other children and we all came out of the house through the back door. Although my son is in hospital, we were very fortunate to escape with our lives, and this is because the back doors were not on fire,” she said.
The distraught mother said that it seemed as if someone had deliberately set her home afire. She also explained that there was not enough time to save household items and clothing, “because the fire was quickly spreading in the house and I was concerned with the safety of my three other children and my two grandchildren”.
Duporte said that she could not estimate the cost of the damage to her home but, apart from losing all of their clothing, two refrigerators, a television set, three beds, two transformers, cutlery, crockery and her entire foodstuff were destroyed, among others.
She was however in high praise of the Fire and Rescue Services for saving her two-bedroom house from total destruction, and recalled that she braved the flames to get her cellular phone from off a burning bed to dial 911.
The Harowe Servo Controls Ltd. Employee also explained that after the fire was extinguished, they were driven to her sister’s home in Half Way Tree where they remained until daylight. She is however emotionally perturbed over the matter, because she cannot remain at her sister’s home and does not know where she and her family would be housed until repairs and refurnishing of her domicile are completed.
She told this media house that she had a similar experience in the past, but the destruction of her home at that time was done by Hurricane George.
“Hurricane George had destroyed my former home and NEMA, with assistance from my employee, helped me to own this now fire-destroyed house in Godwin Estate. But right now I don’t know where help is coming from. I also have to think about how the children will be clothed when school reopens in September,” she said.
Debbie Duporte is the mother of Alpha ‘Raga’ Duporte, who is being sought by the police in connection with the July 18, 2009 shooting death of 24-year-old Dexter Marsham of Godwin Ghaut.
According to a police release, “Investigations revealed that Marsham had an altercation with a group of young men when one of them drew a pistol and shot him multiple times about his body. Royden Gumbs of Godwin’s Ghaut was passing at the time and he too was attacked and shot in the left leg. His mother Jessica Gumbs who was nearby, ran to his assistance and was also shot in the leg. The Gumbs’ were taken to the JNF Hospital where they were treated and warded in stable condition. A fourth victim, Kyam Marshum, believed to be shot (grazed) and injured during the incident is being sought by the Police.”
Efforts were made to ascertain the cause of the fire, but this media house was told that only the Chief Fire Officer and his Deputy are allowed to speak to the media and they were unavailable, even at press time. However, police are investigating.
Meanwhile, SKNVibes was reliably informed that a number of gunshots were fired at a building, situated not far from the Duporte’s residence in Godwin Estate.
Investigations revealed that sometime after 6:00 yesterday (July 21) morning while the shooting was taking place, two persons were within the house but no one was reportedly injured.
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