Electrical Fire Destroys Cement Bungalow
An electrical fire during the heavy rains on Saturday night has completely destroyed a concrete bungalow structure on Supal Street. The residence of twenty-seven-year-old Roman Riverol and his father was gutted when an electrical short outside of the building ignited their mechanical equipment. The blaze quickly spread into the elderly man’s bedroom, consuming everything in its path. According to Roman, he was alerted by the sudden crackle of the power lines outside his mother’s house. He responded in time to notify his sleeping father.
Roman Riverol, Fire Victim
“With this fire, it is messed up because I left from here, went across to my mom’s house and I heard the noise like (bussing sound). When I heard that, I thought it was outside and I told my little brother to plug out everything. Then I heard it again and I thought it was the lamppost. Then I heard it after that and when I went to my little brother’s window and as I was peeping outside, I smelt smoke. Smelling that smoke I woke up my mom and everybody and I remembered that my dad was sleeping. So I holler for them and tell them wake up my pa quick. And dehn di shout, shout, shout; jump on the phone di try call B.T.L., B.E.L., everybody wi di try call, but ih di go to either voice mail or dial tone. When we done that, we come outside and I see my pa ina di yard and he deh deh with water di try out it. But I know dah electrical fire and so we tell ahn get out of the water. And he say noh, I have to go back for mi stuff in there and thing. And we tell ahn noh worry bout dende. And I see that happen and then I run from yah soh to the fire station deh so and when I reach deh, I say fire deh pan Supal. Man dah like okay, weh kind of fire and I tell ahn electrical and the guy get wah call from—I noh know if dah the next substation—but dehn say yes, a fire deh pan Supal. When we came, we reach in front of the house and they were asking us about which part it started and I said at the front. After that, the other fire truck came, B.E.L. and everyone else and they got it controlled after that.”
Roman Riverol
Isani Cayetano
“In terms of the extent of damage looking around, what all have you guys lost as a matter of this fire?”
Roman Riverol
“Well, in my dad’s room, everything went down. His phone, his tablet; everything. TV, everything in his room, his bed; everything went down. With me, I had some computer parts and some computer across…everything burnt up—yo can’t really figure out nothing—my bed. I would say about eighty percent damage. There were two vehicles outside; those got burnt also.”
Isani Cayetano
“I understand you guys were also operating a body works shop out of this particular residence. In terms of the setback that this has created as a result of the fire, where do you guys go from here?”
Roman Riverol
“Well first of all I need to try get back the house in living condition so that me and my dad can live back here. From that, I can see if yes we can build back and depending on finance and thing like that, if we can get a bounce back from that.”
The family is still in the process of accessing the value of their losses.
