Barbados Today

Twenty-nine-year-old Corey Brewster of Water Hall Land, St Michael is now homeless following a blaze at his home just after eight this morning.

Brewster, who is employed in the tourism sector, lost all of his possessions in the blaze, which also destroyed an adjacent one bedroom home and slightly damaged another house owned by 99- year- old Rosalie Bailey. The fire also extensively damaged a car that was parked in front of Brewster’s home.

Brewster, who was too overcome by grief to speak to reporters on the scene, was not at home at the time of the fire, which sent a huge clouds of smoke billowing into the air.

It was just in late February this year that Minister of Social Transformation Steve Blackett handed over the $75 000 house to Bailey under the Poverty Alleviation and Reduction Programme.

Bailey’s grand-daughter Caroline, who lives at the house with two of her sons, said when she first saw the smoke she thought that someone was burning trash, but later discovered that two houses adjacent to her home were on fire.

There are unconfirmed reports that Caroline, who was overcome with tears at the scene this morning, later collapsed and had to be taken by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for medical attention.

Just after nine, ten fire officers under the command of Divisional Officer Ormond Fenty brought the fire under control. Two fire tenders and one water tanker were deployed to extinguish the blaze.