Old woman burnt to death in downtown Kingston fire
Carlene Aird weeps for her mother who died in the fire yesterday. Photos: Garfield Robinson
AN 82-year-old woman died yesterday and about 100 people were left homeless after a fire destroyed a two-storey building on West Street in downtown Kingston.
The woman, who was said to be suffering from Alzheimer’s, was identified by her grieving daughter as Ellfreda Brown.
The building, located at 7 to 11 West Street, which was once the home of the now defunct
Jamaica Record newspaper, housed a furniture shop where police alleged that the fire started.
According to Superintendent Patrick Gooden of York Park Fire Station, the fire brigade responded to a call about 11:03 am after people saw smoke coming from the building and raised an alarm.
However, when they arrived at the scene, the building was already engulfed and the elderly woman, who was trapped inside, could not be rescued.
Angry residents, including Brown’s daughter Carlene Aird, who said she rushed home from work after hearing that her mother was trapped inside the building, blamed the police and the firemen for the woman’s death.
They claimed that police prevented several young men, including some who resided there, from going inside the burning building.
They also accused firemen of not listening to the young men who had tried to direct them to the woman’s room and had offered their help to remove the old woman from the blaze.
“All now dem cyaa tek her out,” a tearful Aird said repeatedly as she paced outside the burnt building while stomping her feet and clapping her hands before the body of her mother was found.
“I was at work when I got the news. And when I come dem tell mi say a long time dem a try tek her out but the police dem run dem,” she said.
Aird said her mother had been living with her for two year now after she took her from where she had been living and brought her home to properly care for her.
“I expect my mother to sick and dead. It better if she did sick and dead,” she said in tears.
“A policeman say wi nuh fi come inna the yard, and a there so we live and mi kick off the window and smoke a come out pon mi; mi couldn’t save her, and when me could see her mi bawl di living eye water,” said one man, who said he has been living at the West Street building for almost six years.
“Mi vex, cause the youth dem in the community respond good, but the police come and run out the people dem like dem nuh want dem save di woman, a dem mek the woman dead,” claimed a male resident.
“Dem a seh wi have gun and dandimite, and a betta one dead than six. And all wi a say mek we try save di woman, a when it late dem a say wi fi try,” another young man added.
The police and firefighters, however, dismissed the residents’ claims.
According to Superintendent Gooden, the brigade responded in a timely manner, and the operation was very efficient, but there were challenges in accessing water in the immediate vicinity and accessing the building, as it was not built for residential purposes.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Alfred McDonald, meanwhile, said that he was not aware of the police barring people from rescuing the woman. He said when the police arrived there were two sets of people — onlookers who were ordered to leave, and people who were trying to save their personal belongings, who the police allowed to salvage what they could.
With a fire there is never any guarantee that you can successfully make a rescue. I am not convinced they really wanted to rescue di lady, if they truly wanted to rescue her they would have entered, dem never said police hold gun to dem head, suh what stopped dem from guh in deh? Deze indisciplined louts who teck no orders from nobody suddenly became law abiding citizens when police tell dem nuh fi guh inna building on fire fi guh rescue an old lady? Is who dem ppl yah a try fool?
My condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased.