Eleven fishermen’s huts at King’s Wharf, San Fernando, went up in flames on Monday night.
The fire started around 10.30 pm, while most of the fishermen were out at sea.
Eight-month pregnant Patricia Mohammed, who has been living on the wharf since December last year, said she heard two men arguing and then the fire broke out.
When the flames started ravaging the wooden huts, Mohammed said she ran for her life. Uncertain whether anyone was sleeping inside the shacks, Mohammed said she tried calling the Fire Service but there was no cellphone signal. Despite her condition, she began running towards the city where she called for help. The Fire Service responded promptly but by the time firefighters arrived at least 11 shacks were fully ablaze. Two vehicles, boat engines, household appliances, fish storage facilities and tools were destroyed. There were no injuries.
Mohammed said she depended on the fishermen to support her after she was thrown out of her home at Rousillac.
"I am thankful that nobody died in the fire but we want some help because we lost a lot," Mohammed said.
Fisherman Dhanraj Goolcharan said he was out at sea when he saw the fire.
"I knew it was my place. I could tell based on the position of those trees," Goolcharan said, pointing in the distance.
He said pulled up his nets, alerted other fishermen and hurried back home.
"When I got here the car was razed. I packed up my things and I left. I could not bear to tell my wife anything," Goolcharan added.
The fishermen use the shacks to store their valuables and sometimes after a long night of fishing they would rest in the huts.
President of the San Fernando Fishing Cooperative Salim Gool said the fishermen suspected arson. He called for a full investigation into the fire, which caused over $200,000 in losses, adding that they should be given financial assistance to buy back their boats, nets and engines.
Another fisherman, Errol Ranghill, said it was not the first strange fire to have occurred over the past few months.
"People are deliberately trying to burn down the shacks because they want us to get out of the wharf. They have a beautification project planned and they want us out. We experienced three fires over the past five months but each time we put them out. This time they caught us off-guard," Ranghill said.
He added that before any beautification project could go on, all the fishermen from the wharf must be relocated.
"We have been here for generations. I want to see if they will allow us to rebuild the shacks," Ranghill added.
Regrello ready to help
Contacted for comment yesterday, San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello said the assertion that the State had something to do with the fire was ridiculous.
"That is going from the sublime to the ridiculous. Nobody is trying to burn them out. Why would we do that? They are humble families in dire need of assistance. They have been living on the wharf for their entire lifetime. Why would we as a caring Government and caring corporation do something like that?" Regrello added.
He said the corporation has been very accommodating to the fishermen.
"We have gone against the advice of some and taken account of their plight because of the sensitivity of this matter," Regrello said. He said he will be happy to accommodate the fishermen for a meeting in the near future.