‘Dem never did have to dead’: Residents mourn brothers killed in Portmore house fire

As rain battered the charred remains of an ill-fated house where two young brothers were burnt to death late Monday night, residents of the area called Mexico in Gregory Park, Portmore, St Catherine gathered under umbrellas at the scene Tuesday morning, still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.

But amid the grief was a nagging feeling among some residents that the deaths of the boys, aged five and 10, could have been prevented had they been alerted to the fire sooner.

The children’s older brother, believed to be about 13, and their pregnant mother survived the blaze.

The mother, however, reportedly suffered several burns and was hospitalised.

“Dem [children] never did have to dead. We coulda did save dem. If dem just did just shout out, people would have come,” lamented Danikla Dawkins, one of the residents who first contacted emergency response teams after becoming aware of the fire.

Dawkins said she and other residents only became aware of the blaze after flames began consuming nearby trees, lighting up the area “like daylight”.

She said that by then, the fire had already taken hold of the small wooden dwelling, leaving little opportunity for residents to intervene.

“The house a burn and is like him and the mother did a try out it themselves. Is when him realise seh the bucket too heavy fi carry the water from round a back him run out,” she recounted.

Dawkins said the older boy was subsequently seen outside the gate, holding his head, as residents scrambled to establish what was happening inside the burning house.

Shortly afterwards, the mother was located and taken for medical attention, having sustained serious burns.

Residents said the family had moved into the community less than a year ago.

Although the mother and her children were regarded as good people, they largely kept to themselves and did not socialise much with their neighbours.

The fire reportedly started shortly after 7:00 p.m.

For those who gathered outside, the sight was devastating.

They said they could only watch as the flames swallowed what remained of the dwelling, with the knowledge that two children were trapped inside.

The realisation that they could do little to help left several residents shaken.

“The mother don't have any voice to shout, and she also pregnant; but I just can't understand how the youth couldn't shout and come call for help,” said another resident, who is known in the community by the nickname ‘Satan’.

He said the circumstances surrounding the deaths were difficult to comprehend, particularly given the number of people living within earshot of the house.

- Corey Robinson

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