Perfect timing
Man who lost home to fire says brigade’s timeliness was a blessing
DESPITE losing almost everything when his house caught fire in April, Omar Green is still thankful for the firefighters who he believes arrived on the scene in time to stop the blaze from causing further damage.
“Mi grateful it never catch the kitchen because the kitchen was nearby [the blaze] with my cylinder in it. It was a good thing it never reached,” Green told the Jamaica Observer.
“The fireman them come in time before it reached where the kitchen is. Because if them never come…once it catch the kitchen, all of the cylinders — and we have about three cylinders in the kitchen with about two gas stoves — so if the [fire] did reach it the cylinder them would [cause] a big explosion and create more damage, so the timing weh them come did perfect,” Green added.
His house was one of three destroyed by an electrical fire on April 16 on 7th Street in the Greenwich Town community of Kingston.
Commissioner of Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) Stewart Beckford said two units, one from Trench Town and another from York Park Fire Station, responded to the blaze.
Three firefighters sustained injuries while fighting the blaze as they came in contact with live electrical wires across the premises.
Recalling the incident, Green said he was awakened by his neighbour who alerted him to the blaze about 2:00 am. He said they sprung into action and began to dump buckets of water on the fire until others came to assist.
He shared that in the heat of the moment it felt like 30 minutes had passed before the firefighters responded. However the JFB said they got the call about the fire at about 2:17 am and arrived on-scene approximately three minutes later.
“I really feel grateful to the persons who called the fire brigade because you see if the fire brigade man them never come… it would have been a lot more property [would] burn down. At least about two more houses were beside us, and if it did continue blaze about two to three more yard would burn down,” said Green.
Though he only had the clothes on his back, his wallet, and his car — because everything else was destroyed in the blaze — he is adamant that the response of JFB came at the perfect time.
“The fireman them come after me drive off the car, and they come to try and assist. Them deh there a do a good work, me not lying. The fireman them put out [their] heart,” said Green.
“Maybe people would hear me say it’s perfect timing and say, ‘Weh him mean by perfect timing? Dem shoulda come quicker than that!’ but they come in perfect time,” added Green as he underscored that if the blaze had spread to the kitchen, other houses would have been affected.
“Some people who don’t have a heart would say them nuh care but I don’t want to see [anybody] place get burn down. Me nah go seh [because] me lose everything me nuh care. I am a people person; I have a heart and I have love so in all me nuh wah see danger to nobody at all,” said Green.
He told the Observer that even though there was no chance they could have saved his house because the damage was already done, he used his fire training from his workplace to assist the firefighters in containing the blaze.
Green said that when the fire on the outside had subdued, he was helping the firemen to untwist the hose when his foot caught on a splinter and he took a moment to collect himself. While tending to his wound he said he heard the firemen shouting that one of their men was down and that others got electrocuted trying to assist.
Reports from the JFB commissioner are that the electrocution is believed to have been due to contact with illegal connections. However, Green was adamant this was not the case.
“Mi hear a lot of negative energy say a bridge light did cause it, and I know say my house certified and string by the Jamaica Public Service Company [JPS] so when me hear it come out in the news the next day say a bridge light, it’s not bridge light. We don’t have any bridge light; the house them legal, we have legal light,” he stressed.
“Mi know seh the lady next door to me she has her meter and me have my meter. The meters come from the light post so we have we light and we can show we pay the JPS bill. That did kinda shake me up to see me go through so much and den me a hear dem thing deh,” said Green.
He shared that since the unfortunate event, friends, family, and colleagues at his workplace have all pulled together to provide some sort of assistance. However, two months later he is still trying to get back on his feet and is pleading for assistance.
“Mi just call on God and know say everything is God work so Father God knows what’s best and will provide,” affirmed Green.