WESTMORELAND, Jamaica— Twenty-four children are among 36 people now homeless following a fire at Bay Road, Little London in Westmoreland on Monday, June 13.

Denroy Morgan, one of the fire victims, told OBSERVER ONLINE that he was inside his house in the early afternoon when he was made aware of the fire.

“I ran outside and got a half bucket of water and came back inside, where I spill the water,” he said.

However, upon his second attempt, he said, the fire had got out of control and so he had to abort his plans of getting more water to put out the blaze.

The fire, which started from Morgan’s house, quickly spread to three other houses in the yard.

The 36-year-old security guard shared that he lost everything in the fire, including his work clothes, which has caused him to halt his job.

“It’s a loss of everything, not a pin was saved. Wi don’t have it like that to be facing a situation like this,” a distraught Morgan added.

Holding his children’s burnt uniform in his hands, an emotional Presley Barnes who also lost his home, told OBSERVER ONLINE that he almost fainted when he got home and the fire greeted him.

“All drop mi nearly drop dung, all cry mi nearly cry because mi nuh know how dem [children] a guh manage,” he said.

“Di whole a mi clothes dem, fridge, bed, everything burn up inna di house. Nuttin at all mi couldn’t save. Not even di pickney dem can guh a school, dem nuh have nutten fi eat dem nuh have nuh weh fi sleep,” an emotional Barnes added.

Barnes, who is a mason and does odd jobs, is seeking help from people to restart his life.

“Mi wudda glad if dem can put out some effort and help dem inna di yard yah,” he pleaded.

As for Rohan Thomas, another of the fire victims, he had to sleep under an ackee tree in his yard on Monday night, as the place he called home is no more.

Thomas said he would appreciate help if any form from Jamaica.

“We’d like anyone who can really assist us, whatever thing they have food, [material] we’d accept it,” he appealed.

The family is at a loss and have sought temporary haven from community members.

Kimberley Peddie