Fire guts home and leaves family of four homeless

And in the city, a fire sometime around ten on Sunday night destroyed the home of a family of four. Thirty-three year old Marcelteno Montejo and his two year old son were inside their home located on Periwinkle Street in the Lake I Area when an overload in an extension cord used to power his refrigerator burst into flames. The blaze spread quickly throughout the home and Montejo was able to flee the building with his son. The other family members, two daughters, were fortunately not at home. Firefighters say they contained and put out the fire in less than twenty minutes. The contents of the home, however, were totally destroyed. Training Officer of the Fire Department, Kenneth Mortis, says that homeowners are advised to take care when using electrical cords to power heavy duty appliances.

Kenneth Mortis, Training Officer, Fire Department
“We observed a cement bungalow structure with smoke and flames coming from the rear portion of the building. We then got into operation in extinguishing and containing the fire.”

Duane Moody
“What was the cause of the fire?”

Kenneth Mortis
“The investigation based on information received and sifting through the rubbles, led us to conclude the fire started due to overload in a negligent use of an extension cord. By negligent use I mean that the extension cord was serving the purpose for a refrigerator and also other heavy duty machinery in the house such as a washing machine as well. The extension cord then failed and subsequently set the building ablaze.”

Duane Moody
“Was everything lost?”

Kenneth Mortis
“Everything inside the building was lost—the contents and just about everything. I think the only thing that was salvaged was a gas tank and stove. We’ve been trying to get people to understand the severity in the negligent use in extension cords. It can only withstand so much. There is nothing wrong with using extension cords as long as it is a heavy duty one that can sustain the use of a refrigerator or washing machine. Those other small types or non-heavy duty are not recommended and it is definitely a negligent use. It’s something that homeowners need to look into seriously.”

The house and its items were not insured.