Two young brothers, aged five and ten, lost their lives in a devastating house fire in the Mexico area of Gregory Park, Portmore, St Catherine, on Monday evening, police have confirmed.
The deceased have been identified as 10-year-old Dion Bell and his five-year-old brother, Joshua Bell.
Their pregnant mother and 13-year-old older brother managed to survive the blaze. However, the mother sustained several burns and was rushed to hospital for medical treatment.
According to police reports, officers attached to the Caymanas Police Station were alerted to a fire at a house in the Portmore Villa community shortly after 7:00 p.m.
The Jamaica Fire Brigade was subsequently summoned and responded to the scene, where firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.
However, after the flames were brought under control, the bodies of the two young brothers were discovered among the rubble of the burnt out dwelling.
Residents Believe Tragedy Could Have Been Prevented
Amid the grief and shock surrounding the deaths, some residents have expressed the painful belief that the tragedy might have been prevented if they had been alerted to the fire earlier.
One resident, Danikla Dawkins, who was among those who contacted emergency response teams, said she and other neighbours only became aware of the blaze after flames began consuming nearby trees, illuminating the surrounding area.
According to Dawkins, by the time residents realised what was happening, the fire had already taken hold of the small wooden house, leaving little opportunity for them to intervene.
She recounted that the mother and one of the children appeared to have been attempting to fight the fire themselves using water.
Dawkins said the child was apparently struggling to carry a bucket of water from the back of the property before eventually running outside.
Too Late!!!
The older boy was later seen standing outside the gate, holding his head, as residents desperately tried to determine what was happening inside the burning house.
Dawkins said the situation left residents devastated, particularly because they believed there might have been an opportunity to save the children had help been summoned sooner.
“They never did have to die. We could have saved them. If they had just shouted out, people would have come,” she lamented.
Mother Suffered Severe Burns as Family Tried to Escape
Residents said the mother was eventually located and taken for medical attention after sustaining serious burns during the incident.
Another resident, known in the community by the nickname ‘Satan’, questioned why the children did not manage to alert neighbours to the emergency.
He suggested that the mother may have been unable to call out for assistance because of her condition, noting that she was pregnant.
“The mother don’t have any voice to shout, and she’s also pregnant; but I just can’t understand how the youth couldn’t shout and come call for help,” the resident said.
Family Had Recently Moved Into Community
Residents disclosed that the family had moved into the community less than a year ago.
Although the mother and her children were described as good people, neighbours said they generally kept to themselves and did not interact much with other residents.
The incident has left members of the community shaken, with several people reportedly gathering outside the property as the flames consumed the wooden structure.
For those who witnessed the destruction, the most painful part was knowing that two young children were trapped inside while residents could do little but watch.
The circumstances surrounding the fire remain unclear, and the police have launched an investigation into the incident.