Four homeless after devastating St James blaze

A family of four has been left homeless after a fire ravaged their home in Husbands, St James, early Thursday morning, destroying all their possessions.

The Barbados Fire Service responded to the blaze at #14 Husbands New Development at 5:30 a.m., with nine fire officers and two water tenders. The fire consumed the entire house, leaving Nigel Lowe, his partner, and their two children with only the clothes they were wearing. A neighbouring house was also damaged.

Lowe, who was on his way to work when alerted by his landlady, recounted the harrowing experience to Barbados TODAY.

“She says she was laying down, she start feeling this heat, when she get up, she see the front part of the corner of the house burning; all she could do was run down through the house and wake up the two children,” he said, describing his partner’s actions. By the time they escaped, the bedroom was already ablaze.

A neighbour speculated that an electrical fault might have caused the fire, citing unusual behaviour from his own appliances moments before the incident.

“I hear my fan make a weird noise and I run turn it off,” he said, adding that he learned of the fire shortly after.

The family’s loss is comprehensive, with Lowe lamenting: “I aint save nuttin.” Even recently bought school uniforms and books for his younger child were destroyed. Lowe, who suffers from hypertension, expressed his struggle to remain strong for his two children, ages 10 and 16.

Area MP Davidson Ishmael visited the site and pledged government assistance.

“I’ve spoken to the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of People Empowerment because they also provide temporary accommodation in certain circumstances like this, relative to supplies and appliances and different things like that as well,” he said. “But we’re going to do what we can to see if we can make sure that the family is not only accommodated from tonight and then see what long-term solutions can be provided to them.”

Despite these assurances, Lowe remains uncertain about his family’s future. While his children are temporarily staying with a nearby aunt, he expressed concern about prolonged separation.

“I don’t know where we’ll go from here. I don’t want to be separated from my family again, especially after everything we’ve been through,” he said, alluding to previous incidents of violence in the area that had disrupted their lives.

The MP acknowledged the urgent need to replace school supplies for Lowe’s daughter, recognising the family’s preparation for the upcoming school term.

While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Lowe hinted at tensions in the neighbourhood, suggesting there might be more to the incident than initially apparent.

(LG)