Fire officials are set to return to the scene of a blaze in Marabella to determine the cause, as it left 12 people, including six children homeless.
The fire on Sunday night destroyed their rented apartments at Jack Street at around 9.15 pm.
The two-storey house was completely gutted. There were no reports of injuries.
Two men lived on the top floor, and two families – each a couple with three children – on the ground floor.
Downstairs tenant Nikesha Guy said her children, Triston Friday, 12, Kaia Small, 11, and Serena Anoop, eight, were in the living room for dinner while she was taking a bath. At 9.15 pm, the upstairs tenants knocked on their kitchen window, telling them to call the Fire Service.
She said her husband ran outside to see if there was any way to save their home, but the fire spread too quickly. He tried to run back inside to salvage a few things, but the intense heat forced him to retreat. He suffered a minor burn to his back.
When the time firefighters arrived, the house was already destroyed. They were able to save a building to the front, which got scorched.
Guy said her children’s school uniforms and books were lost in the fire.
Marabella West councillor Michael Johnson contacted the disaster management unit of the San Fernando City Corporation and members provided temporary relief.
He said he also intends to seek further help for the victims.
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