Fire on Jane Usher Boulevard leaves family homeless

A family of four lost everything today in a midday blaze. The origin of the fire is still being determined but it is widely believed an electrical failure triggered it. The wooden structure was located on Jane Usher Boulevard and took little time to be consumed by the flames. Onlookers watched, unable to access the house, belonging to Pastora Galvez and her family. News Five’s Delahnie Bain was on the scene soon after the fire broke.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

Pastora Galvez left home this morning to take her grandson to school and returned to find her house engulfed in flames. She got the bad news from a neighbor who saw the smoke emanating from the wooden structure.

Pastora Galvez, Fire Victim

Pastora Galvez

“My son-in-law niece weh live right across from we, she call his phone and tell he dat my house deh pan fire. And dah so we jump eena my son-in-law vehicle and come straight yah.”

Delahnie Bain

“So no one was here at the time?”

Pastora Galvez

“No.”

Kendis Diego

Kendis Diego, Neighbor

“I si smoke di come out from out ah di house. My bally ask me weh di go on wid dat and I seh I noh really know. But I si smoke di come out from di house. When we reach yah, di smoke strong from out ha di house and when we di close een di fire just fly right out ah di house and dah lone heat. We couldn’t even come close fi try get nothing out due to weh everything mi dry.  Di wire dehn mi di spark up from di top part; bright, bright, bright wire bright light all blue and red, just di spark from di top and di smoke di come from een side.”

Another neighbor, Kendis Diego, was the first on the scene and he alerted the police and fire officials.

Kendis Diego

“I call di police and di police seh well from deh dehn wah call di fire engine but I call di fire engine as I shet off my phone off ah di police. I all di fire engine and tell dehn I si big smoke di happen out ah wah house and fire di flame up from out ah di house and wire di sparkle. Den I call di B.E.L. people and tell dehn dat di current di go off dah back yah.”

While Galvez is uncertain what may have caused the fire, Diego suspects it was an electrical fault.

Pastora Galvez

“I noh sure because one ah my son stay yah wid me and I lef he home dis morning but he normally get up and go too. And he neva deh yah, he seh. Afta we deh yah he come. He seh he mi deh dah wah neighbor and he hear people di seh dehn si smoke and when he run come, dah fi we house.”

Kendis Diego

“Same thing mi happen to mines too. Di wire mi gone off ova deh, right ova di side deh. Dah just wah wire faultage always dah back yah due to how di trees and so always di rub up pan dehn wires and thing like dat so every time di wires start wear out and so and dat could be di cause ah it.”

The house was occupied by four persons, who will now seek shelter with a family member.

Pastora Galvez

“Me, my gentleman, my son and my lee grandson weh seven.”

Delahnie Bain

“And you all have anywhere else to go?”

Pastora Galvez

“Well, I got wah daughter deh but fi she house small. Den she got some kids too so I guess we mussy wah have to jam up.  Boots Martinez bredda, he mi deh back yah and he tell me dat once di fireman dehn done do di assessment and thing, he wah send in di workman dehn fi clean up di place and put something up fi me. I noh know—ih can’t be today, maybe tomorrow or by di end ah di week. I noh sure.”

Galvez estimates that the loss is in the range of twenty thousand dollars. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

Plus TV’s Giovanni Brackett provided part of the footage for the story.