Radhica De Silva
Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Four house fires have left four families homeless in Penal and Barrackpore over the past two weeks, prompting calls for the government to properly outfit the Penal fire headquarters.
Even though $71 million was spent over eight years to build the facility, it lacks a fire appliance to respond to fires.
The latest fire occurred on Wednesday at Mussarap Trace, Barrackpore, at the home of Sherry Dabiedeen.
Speaking to Guardian Media amidst the ruins of her home, Dabiedeen said she could not believe that her entire home valued at over $1 million had been gutted by a blaze.
She believes the fire started inside a cupboard where she had her security cameras and other electronic devices. Dabiedeen said the fire could have been triggered by an electrical malfunction.
Recalling the tragedy, Dabiedeen said she and her daughter Sasha Dabiedeen had gone to Princes Town when they got a call from her son Daryl that the house was on fire.
Daryl, who works at the Ministry of Works, had seen the flames leaping from the roof after being alerted by a friend.
Both women quickly returned to the house and found it alight. Because of the shortage of resources at the Penal Fire Station, Dabiedeen said fire teams from Princes Town Fire Station had to respond.
Saying she got confused when she saw the blaze, Dabiedeen said all of their valuables including new furniture and appliances were totally destroyed. Mounds of damaged goods were piled high in front of her house.
Dabiedeen said she took over three years to save and build her house, saying all of her family chipped in to help. She said her son tiled the house himself and did the plumbing to save costs.
Meanwhile, Sascha, who is studying to be an accountant, said she lost her laptop and other important documents.
"I didn't think when we left home on Wednesday that it would be the last time I was seeing my room and everything else we owned," she wept. She thanked God that her mother was not at home when the blaze started in the bedroom as Dabiedeen was not feeling well that morning.
Anyone wanting to assist the Dabiedeen family can call 357-7252 or 317-4561.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation Gowtam Maharaj and Councillor Gerard Perreira visited the family on Good Friday to offer help.
Maharaj said over the past two weeks four fires occurred at Seebalack Trace, Sumanie Trace, Julien Trace, and now at Mussarap Trace.
"The Penal station is just a building without a fire tender. If we had the tender, a lot of these homes which burnt would have been saved. It is not feasible for fire appliances to be coming as far as Mon Repos and Princes Town to service this area," he said.
Maharaj lamented that the roads in the area were in a deplorable state and this too hampered quick-fire responses.
Perreira also said: "It's the most heartbreaking thing to come to a home that has been devastated by fire. It is repulsive that we have a big fire station so close and there is no fire tender."
The councillor said Penal/Debe has over 100,000 people with over 220 square miles.
"We need resources to service this area. We cannot wait until someone dies. We need to have better resources at the Penal Fire station," he added.
In October 2023, Dexter Hodge, Divisional Fire Officer in charge of Public Relations Welfare and Research said five stations do not have appliances. These include Penal, Mayaro, Woodbrook, Belmont, Morvant and Santa Cruz.
However, Hodge explained that appliances and other equipment have arrived in Trinidad but are awaiting clearance at the port. Once the equipment is cleared, he said, it will be despatched to those stations without appliances.