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UPDATE: 100 people left homeless after triple fire in Greenwich Town

UPDATE: 100 people left homeless after triple fire in Greenwich Town

The death toll from Saturday’s triple fires that hit Mahoe Drive, Greenwich Farm and Majesty Gardens has risen to more than 100, with most reportedly losing everything in the morning blazes.

“It is estimated that there are 40 families – the houses are close and most of them are burned. Most of these people have really lost everything,” Saint Andrew South West Member of Parliament Angela Brown Burke told Observer Online at the scene of the Majesty Gardens fire.

“We are looking for clothes, food, shelter and housing to rebuild the situation. Some people don’t even have a place to stay – this will be a monumental task, she emphasized.
Burke noted that not only were personal items such as textbooks, clothes and uniforms destroyed, but several traders also lost the tools that enabled them to make a living.

“We are making an appeal to see if, in the case of some tools, we can get people to get them back,” the MP said on Saturday, as government officials were in the process of assessing the total damage.

Residents were also on site digging through the rubble. One of the men, who was not home at the time of the fire, stood next to the burnt refrigerator, holding charred pants. He lamented

“They’re all gone, they’re all gone.”

Another resident, identified only as Jeffery, showed Observer Online the burn wounds he received during the ordeal. A family member who identified herself as Jeffery’s caregiver explained:

“He is mentally ill. I’m the one taking care of him. He was sleeping while I was working, so when the fire woke him up, he was trying to grab some clothes and the roof collapsed on him,” she said, pointing to the wailing and swollen burns on Jeffery’s arm.

Residents say they want more solid homes in the rebuilding process. One woman, who did not appear on camera, said:

“It would be best to concrete it down here. Too much guesthouse. Once someone gets caught, everyone will disperse.”

Burke agreed, stating, “Rebuilding for the families that are here is truly a monumental task.”

Greenwich Farms councilor Karl Blake said the main focus now was on clearing the area of ​​debris and building new facilities to provide shelter to residents as quickly as possible. He told Observer Online that the fire was first reported on Mahoe Drive, which was quickly followed by an inferno in Majesty Gardens. Firefighters had to rush out immediately to put out the last fire.

“They all work in the Greenwich Town district, so it’s a difficult task for me,” Blake said, adding:

“I am appealing to everyone who can help.”