The Tribune

POLICE reissued their call for residents to install smoke detectors in their homes after a fire took the life of a five-month-old girl on Amos Ferguson Street yesterday.

Fire Services chief Walter Evans told the media that they first received a call about a structural fire on Exuma Street sometime around 1:59pm.

He said fire trucks arrived some three minutes later to find that the top section of the two-storey structure was completely ablaze.

“Officers immediately controlled the fire and extinguished it. After the fire was extinguished officers found what appeared to be the remains of a infant child lying on a bed in the southwestern bedroom. EMS was called and they confirmed it was the remains of a person and made the death pronouncement.”

Mr Evans said that the police have launched an intensive investigation into this matter to determine what was the cause of the fire. He also made honourable mention of an uncle of the baby who, he said, showed “great bravery” in an attempt to save the little girl’s life.

The uncle, he said, entered the bedroom to try to get to the child, but had to give up because of the intensity of the fire. As a result he received some injury to his right arm and was treated at the scene by EMS personnel.

“We want to, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, send our condolences to the family of the deceased. To homeowners we want to reiterate that smoke detectors save lives. And whichever area they live in we want to send that message out,” he said.

At this point Mr Evans said they are unable to say how the fire was started.

“The uncle made an heroic attempt, and although despite his efforts being unsuccessful he was very courageous enough to try to do something like that to rescue his niece. So in instances like that we have to give him credit for trying to do something like that.”

With the mother of the deceased infant crying uncontrollably on a nearby porch, Mr Evans said that such a tragedy is made even worse by the fact that (yesterday) was Mother’s Day.

“Just this morning they saw their loved one and in a matter of minutes they have passed on. It is a very, very difficult thing. And so we have to sympathise with them and that is a part of the role we have to play as police officers and citizens in situations like this.”