One-year-old Kevette Kirby seems to be saying more work is left to be done as she sweeps one of the rooms that was gutted by fire last Thursday morning. The fire left 18 families homeless on West Street in Kingston. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
"It come in like a déjà vu. The thing terrible, man." Those were among the few words Moses Burke could summon as he related his most recent experience to The Gleaner.
The 40-year-old father of two sons recently lost everything in a fire that devoured his two-bedroom house on West Street in downtown Kingston.
Some 18 families, totalling almost 50 individuals have been left homeless because of the fire, which took place early last Thursday morning.
"Mi don't even like remember it, trust mi. A nine years ago something exactly like this happen to mi," he said. "March 18, 2000, right here so burn down flat, flat same way and mi lose everything that time deh to," Burke recalled.
"It feel like a nine years a hard work and rebuilding go down the drain in about 30-40 minutes, it horrible," he lamented.
Sudan Anderson, who claimed she was the first to sound an alarm when she awoke to see her settee engulfed in flames, has also lost all her earthly possessions.
Couldn't save nutten
"Mi wake up bout 1 o'clock (a.m.) to check on the baby and see the fire inna di house, mi couldn't save nutten, mi haffi just grab the baby dem and run," Anderson said.
The 19-year-old mother of two daughters, aged one year and two months old said, she has no idea what her next move will be.
"Right now mi nuh know what mi a go do. Mi lose two bed, stove, fridge, all mi clothes and mi daughter dem clothes and some more things," she said.
Residents, however, say they are grateful that no one was hurt in the fire. "About 11 children live inna de place all together, so we glad say nutten never happen to them," Burke said.
Yesterday, residents were busy cleaning away the debris in a bid to put their lives back together.
Representatives from the welfare committee of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) were also on hand to assist with the clean-up, as well as provide the residents with items of clothing, book vouchers and toys for the children.
"We have enough clothes for everybody, every child, mother and father," executive director of the NSWMA, Joan Gordon-Webley, said yesterday. "We have also brought toys for all of the kids and we will be distributing book vouchers, so they can go into Sangster's or Kingston Bookshop tomorrow morning (today) and get all their books for the kids."
Webley, however, said she was appealing to the public for donations to assist the families in rebuilding their homes.
"If they have building material, call us at the NSWMA and we will collect it and we will bring it here," she said.
The Gleaner was unable to get an official report on the fire from the Constabulary Communication Network and the Kingston Central police yesterday. Firefighters at both the York Park and Trench Town fire stations were also unable to provide information on the incident.
athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com