Fire leaves family of nine homeless

A single mother and her eight children are tonight homeless after an early morning blaze. And by the time the inferno ended, all that was left was dust. Sometime around four a.m., forty-three year old domestic of Hattieville, Bridget Wade, and her eight kids between the ages of one and thirteen were inside their elevated wooden structure in the Old Hattieville Area when they were awaken by the crackling sound of fire coming from the living room. The family escaped unharmed and despite the quick response by fire-fighters and neighbours to quell the blaze, the home was burnt to the ground. News Five spoke with Wade, who is pleading to area representative, Michael Hutchinson for assistance.

Bridget Wade, Victim of House Fire
“Di only thing I coulda mi do da mi just hurry grab my baby and all my children dem and get out. We couldn’t ah mi save nothing.”

Duane Moody
“What could have started this fire?”

Bridget Wade
“Well, di only thing we sleep behind yah wid, we sleep wid we lamp on. Maybe we light lee fly fish because you see how di place stand behind here.”

Duane Moody
“What are you going to do now that everything is lost—their uniforms, their books, etcetera?”

Bridget Wade
“Well, I think by di grace of God, I still might get help for them to go back to school.”

Duane Moody
“When will school start?”

Bridget Wade
“School will be starting in next week, di ending of August. So, as I say, by the grace of God, I will get them back to school.”

Duane Moody
“You will need help with that also.”

Bridget Wade
“Yes, I will need a lot of help with that because it’s six of them in primary school as yet. I still have six attending primary school. So I hope everything go well by the time they are ready to get to school. The policeman came in Hattieville and called the fire service and they come and they all out it together.”

Duane Moody
“But by that time everything was destroyed.”

Bridget Wade
“Everything was destroyed. I couldn’t save nothing. I just ball out and holla for my neighbours around me and they come out and try rescue me and my kids. But I try get them out. That’s all I could have been saying. I need some help right now. I really need a lot of help right now. I’m a single mother of eight kids out of door right now, really need some help. So I would really like my area rep to please try help me the best he could right now. I need somewhere to live right now. I don’t have nothing right now; I’m out of everything. I have no where else to stay or to go. I don’t know where I will sleep for tonight. I don’t know.”

According to fire officials, the cause of the blaze is unknown, but Wade believes that the fire may have started by lamps used for light since there is no electricity. The house and belongings was valued at twenty thousand dollars. If anyone would like to assist, contact Wade at 629-9023.