Elderly woman perishes in fire; 15 year old boy tried to rescue her

A house fire broke out at G.S. Street off Jane Usher Boulevard; normally the story is about a family that needs a place to stay since beds and furniture are often lost.  But sadly this fire ended tragically for an elderly woman. Eighty-one year old Olivia Supal lived alone in a small green wooden two bedroom house. And though there were no family members at the home, there were courageous neighbors who risked limb and life to save her. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

A small wooden house was engulfed in flames about 11 on Tuesday night.  The homeowner, eighty one year old Olivia Supal lost her life in the tragedy.  It is alleged that Supal may have passed away before the fire gutted the building. Supal’s neighbors, a fifteen year old boy and a friend, ran into the house, on instinct, to save her.

Julian Diego, Risked Life to Save Neighbor

Julian Diego

“Mi neighbor cross deh, he run come dah my house and holla fire deh cross ya. And so I jump outta my bed cause I done mi deh the sleep and I seh what, Miss Bunz house deh on fire and dah she one. So we run come and we buss open the door and ih mi deh di stand up over deh, but it look like she mi done dead already. And then I holla Miss Bunz, but ih neva respond so I halla oh my god. And dash water pan ah make ih neva get burn up bad. And then the ceiling thing start drop when we start come in but this place was already in a gulf of fire. We neva wah get burn and bally almost get chop too. When we try dash water, I run because the fire just blow out and bally stay deh and then just run gone. And then Miss Buzs gone and I left because I start look fi cry because the way how I stand up and watch how the lady perish. Say I coulda mi save ahn, but I know I couldn’t ah mi save ahn because the fire so all I coulda mi do dah dash water pan ah mek di lady no burn bad.”

Joan Mariano Diego

Joan Mariano Diego, Neighbor of Olivia Supal

“Miss Bunz da mi wah lady weh jovial, ih eighty odd years of age, but you wouldn’t know ih eighty odd because you see ahn everyday going around doing her daily chores. The last time I see her yesterday afternoon when I gwen dah work after eleven, h wave from through ih window as usual. Hi Miss Bunz and ih go long.”

According to Joan Diego, Julian’s mother, this was the third of three fires at the home. The first on a table in the bedroom and the second in the hall. But because of the late hour, they were asleep and unable to respond in time for the third.

Joan Mariano Diego

“Ih noh have electricity for the past five years or more and we mi di try get help for ah fi get light for her or at least a drop of water because ih neva had light or water ina ih house for the past five years. From the time we come live back yah, we find that out.”

Jose Sanchez

“So does she have specific areas where she would put candles?”

Joan Mariano Diego

“Yes, she uses candles every night. Every night ih have to deh out the buy candles. That dah weh ih use ina ih house as ih main source of light.  Dah no di first time the house ketch fire sake ah di same candle. But the frist time when ih ketch fire, well me and my children managed to out it.”

Jose Sanchez

“Where was the candle in that situation for the first fire?”

Joan Mariano Diego

“In the room so the room mi ketch fire ina the first time. She was trapped inside, but we manage fi mi out it. The second time, the candle was on the table and the candle drop, ketch pan wah curtain and almost ketch the house fire, but we manage fi get ahn out. This yah time now, when ih ketch dah eleven o’clock already and we already mi deh di sleep, so we couldn’t save her last night. Maybe it could have been the smoke strangled her.”

Jose Sanchez

“You’ve been in her house before. Does she have a lot of property? Was anything salvageable? Did you save anything?”

Joan Mariano Diego

“We coulda mi save ih stove. Ih had good lee amount ah things ina ih house. But everything lost, everything lost, everything.”

Jose Sanchez

“You’re fifteen years old; you could have lost your life. What made you come into this burning house?”

Julian Diego

“Because Miss Bunz I know she long time. She is a person weh if she have it and thing she wah give way. And so like all ah we round ya just watch fi di lady.”

Jose Sanchez

“You do realize you do something heroic. Even though she passed away, you’re a hero. You put your safety out of the way for the benefit of someone else. Do you realize that?”

Julian Diego

“Yeh!”

Jose Sanchez

“And you did it in instinct?”

Julian Diego

“Just an instinct. Mi frighten too. I neva wah the lady dead cause the way she stand up there and watch her burn and can’t help her.”

Jose Sanchez

“In terms of family, did she have anybody who use to come look for her?”

Joan Mariano Diego

“Occasionally ih got wah nephew weh come look for ahn, ocassional.But most of the time dah we di neighbors weh deh around would be the ones fi check on weh di happen.”

Jose Sanchez

“Now let me ask you, has any family member come around?”

Joan Mariano Diego

“Well from mawning, from last night to now, no, we noh see nobody as yet.”

Other than a burning candle, poverty and the lack of a system that can provide care for the elderly may have contributed to Supal’s death. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

Supal’s body was transported to the morgue pending the arrival of relatives.