Belmont fire leaves family of 10 homeless

Two babies were among a Belmont family of ten who were left homeless after their home was completely destroyed by a midday blaze. The fire, which reportedly started around 12.20 am, is believed to have originated from the roof of the one-storey home, which was located on Boissere Lane, Belmont. Despite losing all their belongings in the fire, the homeowner, Rosemarie Mottley, said that she was thankful that her relatives escaped unscathed.

“We lost everything—all the children toys and books, furniture, computers, cellphones and all our documents,” she said. The children who resided in the dwelling ranged in ages from six days to seven years. Mottley said the family would be relocating to a relative’s home in San Juan, as they rebuilt on the site. She said local government councillor for Belmont North and West visited the family and promised to help with temporary housing and supplies.

When the T&T Guardian visited, teenage family members were seen rummaging through the charred ruins  in an attempt to salvage some of their belongings. “We can’t estimate our loses now,” Mottley said. “We just lost everything...we just have the clothes on our backs.” Mottley, however, praised the work of the police and fire officers who responded on the scene, and who were challenged by the narrow roads and lack of fire hydrants in the area. The exact cause of the fire had not been established up to late yesterday, but investigators were said to be working on the theory that the fire was started by faulty electrical connection between the house and a nearby electricity pole.