Houses razed

An elderly man may have been saved from death or serious injury when two houses at Gunsite Road, Brittons Hill in St. Michael were destroyed in a blaze earlier today.

Nearly a dozen people have been left searching for refuge in the aftermath of the fire, which occurred just after 10 a.m.

It destroyed an Urban Development Commission-owned house occupied by 27-year-old Melissa Archer, her five children and her boyfriend.

When Barbados TODAY arrived at the scene, Archer and her family members were not there.

The fast moving fire also extensively damaged the wood and wall house next door, owned by Edgar Harris, 83, who was home at the time.

However, the swift work of two community-minded men ensured Harris escaped with his life.

“I started to see a lot of smoke and heard some crackling like something was burning and when I looked I saw the bed was full of smoke and fire. So I heard some youngsters saying ‘daddy come,’ and they lifted me out of the house. I think they came through the door,” said the shaken elderly man, who suffers with pain in his knees.

Harris said he had spent a tremendous amount of money on the house over the years and had transformed it from a small chattel structure to a moderately-sized wood and
wall house, but was thankful his life was spared.

Reverend Alyeia Brathwaite,  whose children stay with their grandfather Harris, reported that numerous important documents had been lost in the fire since these were being kept there as her Kendall Hill, Christ Church home is under construction.

“Everything we had was pretty much stored down here. My son and daughter would have been staying here. This was a family house…and I had always stored my equipment there,” she added.

“It is horrible because this affected not only the first house, but another entire family.

Samuel Price and Walter Brathwaite, who both assisted Harris, said at first they were not sure whether anyone was at home because the house was closed down but when they looked more closely they realised Harris was trapped inside.

“He looked more startled and it looked like he didn’t even want to leave the house and I had to fight with him to get him at the top of the road,” said Brathwaite. He said at that time the first house was practically destroyed and fire was coming through the elderly man’s roof.

“It’s the smoke that will kill you first, not the fire.”

Price meanwhile, praised the work of fire officials for saving a third house from destruction.

Twelve fire officers and three fire tenders responded to the blaze.

Police are continuing their investigations.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb