Monkey Hill fire leaves four homeless
By Stanford Conway
Editor-in-Chief-SKNVibes.com
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Fleurette Williams
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A woman and her three children are now homeless following a fire that destroyed their Lower Monkey Hill home Sunday night.
Fleurette Williams of Nelson Street, Lower Monkey Hill is the victim of suspected arson that has left her and three of her eight children in want of some of the basic needs in life.
Speaking with SKNVibes, Williams said while she and her three children were on their way home from church sometime after 8 p.m. Sunday, they heard the screaming sound of the fire tender’s siren and she immediately brought her vehicle to a halt to allow free passage to members of the Fire and Rescue Services.
“While we were on our way from church we saw the fire truck, we waited until it passed and then we proceeded to St. Peters.
However, as we continued on our way I saw the fire truck turned in the direction of St. Peters area and I said, ‘wow it’s going to Monkey Hill let us drive a little faster’.
“So, on my way into St. Peters I noticed that the fire truck stopped on the hill because traffic could not allow it to pass freely. I then reversed down the hill and came up the other hill only to see my house was on fire,” a distraught Williams said. ~~Adz:Right~~
She disclosed that a next door neighbor saw smoke emanating from the house and she immediately informed the Fire and Rescue Services.
Williams is of the view that the fire was an act of arson, noting she had reported to the police on Monday last that a threat was made by a certain male, whom she believed had recently burnt her jeep. She claimed that at the time of the burning of the vehicle, he said, “You will see more fire!”
Following Sunday night’s incident, the said individual was apprehended by the police and he is currently assisting with investigations into the suspected arson.
There were no personal injuries, as no one was home at the time, but the house was extensively damaged.
Williams claimed investigations revealed that the suspected arsonist might have entered her home by forced entry through one of the rear windows and started the fire in all four bedrooms of the concrete structure.
She also took reporters from SKNVibes on a tour of the badly damaged building, which revealed all the beds and their bedding, clothing and their accessories and numerous items in the bedrooms were totally destroyed.
An examination of the sitting room revealed what was not consumed by fire was damaged [most beyond repair] by water during the process of extinguishing the raging flames. However, a number of items in the kitchen, including a refrigerator, were not among the charred remains.
At the time of the visit, Williams was unable to ascertain the cost of the damages but estimated them to run into hundreds of thousands.
She was also extremely depressed and stated “all the clothes we have are those on our backs”, adding, “This has caused all three of my children to be absent from school today and I do not know when they will recommence classes, because they cannot go to school without uniforms and footwear.”
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