BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A thick cloud of sorrow is hovering over Sandy Point following a fire in The Alley last night (Feb. 13) that ruined a home and left two children dead.
Frantic screams for help broke out throughout the housing project seconds after some of the children and adults, who had been inside the house, were able to escape the deadly flames.
According to eyewitness report, at about 10:30 p.m., children on the inside of the home ran outside crying and screaming when they realised that one of the bedrooms was on fire. They were unable to get immediate attention as music from a neighbouring house party muffled their screams for help.
However, with rising flames forcing their way through the window of the room in which the two children were, a number of party attendees attempted to get inside the house but were unable to reach the children, while others hurriedly sought water to extinguish the flames.
“I just heard the screaming and I saw everybody running toward the window trying to get in the house. You could hear the children screaming in the house...the fire was all around them and you could see one jumping and they were screaming. The fellas started hosing down the house but they could not get inside, and the fire was just growing and growing,” the eyewitness said.
When SKNVibes arrived on the scene, community members were still trying to enter the house before it was entirely engulfed, as the mournful cries of parents, family members and friends echoed through the night.
Within 10 minutes, units from the Fire and Rescue Department and the Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene, but by that time the helpless children on the inside could not have been heard above the sound of the crackling fire. It was too late.
The two children, a boy and a girl, are said to be six and two years, respectively.
Members of the Fire and Rescue Department could not have determined the cause of the fire at the time, but indicated that information would be provided following investigations.
SKNVibes understands that the home belongs to the Burt family and houses a number of adult relatives and their children. One of the parents was reportedly taken to the Pogson Medical Centre, where she was treated for severe burns to the arm and leg.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the lifeless bodies of the children were seen in the bedroom after the fire was extinguished.
Cyndie Demming, a neighbour of the fire victims and spokesperson for the Constituency Representative, Shawn Richards, said that he sent his condolences to the bereaved family and would be launching an appeal to the general public for assistance.
“The Hon. Shawn Richards will be launching an appeal to the general public to assist the family, who has suffered the loss of two of its members and everything in the home. We will open an account at the National Bank for persons to donate to this cause,” Demming said.
The town is collectively mourning the losses of the family.
