Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
A neighbour’s regret now hangs over a Point Fortin tragedy, where a 40-year-old man died in a house fire on Sunday night after hours of visible distress.
Police said the fire broke out shortly after 9.10 pm at a two-storey board-and-concrete house on Reid Road Extension.
Officers responding to a report arrived to find the wooden section of the house engulfed in flames.
Firefighters from the Point Fortin and Mon Repos fire stations brought the fire under control. After extinguishing the blaze, they entered a concrete bathroom area, where they discovered the motionless body of Anderson Francois, who lived alone at the property.
Emergency responders attempted to resuscitate Francois, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
District Medical Officer Dr Ratiram later pronounced him dead and ordered the removal of the body to the San Fernando General Hospital mortuary, pending a post-mortem examination at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.
As investigations continued, Marva Charles, who lives next door and is the mother of Francois’ former girlfriend, who owns the house, said she regretted leaving earlier that afternoon.
She said that although Francois and her daughter ended their relationship years ago, he continued living at the property for about 15 years.
Charles said investigators were trying to determine whether the fire was deliberately set or whether another factor was involved, adding that she shared the same uncertainty.
She said Francois had experienced mental health challenges last year and was admitted to a psychiatric ward, where he was prescribed medication.
According to Charles, he did not feel well on Sunday morning, but did not explain what was troubling him.
She said his behaviour became increasingly concerning over the weekend, noting that he did not sleep on Saturday night and appeared distressed, holding a cutlass and a hammer while claiming he was hearing voices.
“He was inside, and I told him to open the door; I would take him to the doctor. He did not want to go to the doctor, so he took the hammer and nailed up the door. He nailed up the front door and the back door so I could not get in. I had a key, and I tried opening it, but it would not open. He nailed it up, and I said, ‘Andre, open the door, why are you locking it up?’ He said people wanted to kill him.”
She said she was later informed that the house was on fire. From a distance, she saw smoke rising, and by the time she returned, police and firefighters were already at the scene.
“They found him in the washroom. Like he ran in the washroom corner, and my neighbours, who were in front, told me they heard him bawling, ‘Help! Help! I am getting burned,’ and like nobody did anything. At the same time, the girl told me the roof caved down. It was really hard.”
Charles described Francois as a kind and helpful person, saying his only vices were marijuana and rum.
She recalled that on Christmas Eve, he painted her house and packed her flowers.
