Fire leaves man homeless

An early morning fire has left one man without a roof over his head and his sibling without his main source of income. The two men lost everything when the blaze devoured the two-storey building on Caesar Ridge Road. The brothers are turning to the public for assistance. News Five’s Andrea Polanco reports.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Only the charred remnants of two small wooden structures that were the house and business for two brothers remain at Seventeen B Ceasar Ridge Road. Cleveland Grant lived in one of the bungalows; he said he was asleep at the time of the fire and only managed to narrowly escape from the burning house. He lost his furnished house.

Cleveland Grant

Cleveland Grant, Fire Victim

“About one o’clock suh when my bredda wake me and say the house under fire when I get up and come outside when I see it, this part yah outta control, this wall yah done under fire right. I couldn’t grab nothing and thing I just had to run out cause the amount ah heat and thing weh di blow eena my face I had to left then deh and jump  out and end up way ova suh. After that we try call the fire pump and thing mek deh come try rescue wih quick, fast yuh know. When deh come deh put everything under control.”

Andrea Polanco

“By that time everything mi done bun?”

Cleveland Grant

“Everything mi done bun, everything done come bun up when deh do come yuh know.”

Andrea Polanco

“Mr. Cleveland, you nuh know how the house ketch afire?”

Cleveland Grant

“I really ah nuh know cause I just wake up inna it yuh know. I really, really nuh know cause I neva deh yah the day and I come eena and gone sleep. I nuh know if something mi left on or what yuh know.”

Andrea Polanco

“You had electricity or nuh?”

Cleveland Grant

“Yes, I mi have electricity yes and the stove weh I have dah gas weh yuh could ker bout anyway. I use to get current from mi neighbor over there. I nuh really know if dah di current or what yuh know.”

Andrea Polanco

“So, how much you dah estimate yuh losses to be?”

Cleveland Grant

“Hmm I would say about five thousand dollars with the house and material wit mi things deh weh mih deh een side.”

Andrea Polanco

“So it was furnished?”

Cleveland Grant

“Yes, ih mi have mi settee, chair, TV, DVD’s, sound system, bed, table, mi clothes. I just gone down. Right now ah nuh have nuttn.”

The other small house was used by self-employed Glenford Joseph for his tamales production. Scattered around are burnt icebox, refrigerator and other cooking utensils. All of Joseph’s belongings were destroyed:

Glenford Joseph, Fire Victim

“I lost like mi standing freezer, I lost mi two ice box, I lost mi pots deh. Then I lost all mi lee items weh I mi got eena di house deh like plates and cups and table.”

Andrea Polanco

“Suh fi right now yuh wah cyaa carry out no business?”

Glenford Joseph

Glenford Joseph

“Ah lock off right now cause I cyaa do no business right now till I try get up suh lee help fi get back mi lee icebox, mi lee pot and get back all mi lee assets. Fi get back pahn mi lee tamales business cause dat dah weh keep me going cause I nuh got no job out deh.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.”

If you’d like to help the brothers you can call 631-4970.