The Tribune

SEVERAL families were left homeless last night after a massive fire ripped through homes in a shanty town in the Gamble Heights area of New Providence.

The fire came two days after the government initiated a demolition exercise in the area, clearing some homes with the promise to soon return to raze the remaining structures. As Police Fire services worked to contain the fire from spreading, distraught residents looked on, some questioning where they would sleep for the night.

Assistant Superintendent Walter Evans, head of Police Fire Services, said police did not know the cause of the blaze but arson has not been ruled out.

“Around 7.19 this evening, Fire Services received a report of a structural fire in the Haitian village of Gamble Heights,” ASP Evans said at the scene. “When we arrived here, we met multiple structures on fire. There was a need for assistance and based upon the volume and the size of the fire, all of the units on New Providence were called out there; some four Delta units were called out to this fire. As you can see, this is a very uneven surface and there were some challenges with the wind.”

He said the proximity of the structures aided the blaze, but added that firefighters had the fire under control and it was not expected to spread any further.

He estimated that more than half a dozen structures were destroyed in the fire.

He said police had no reports of deaths from the fire and were working to ensure that the occupants of the destroyed homes were accounted for.

One mother, who lived in her brother’s home in the shanty town, said she did not have money for another place to stay and is unemployed.

“I ain’t got a boyfriend, nobody to help me, only my brother help me. He live here for 26 years, he helped me,” she said, overcome with emotion.

A man, who identified himself as John, said he had lived in the area for two years. His home was also destroyed last night. “I see everything gone, I ain’t save nothing,” he said.

The self-described mason said he did not have any relatives on the island to call for help. He said his girlfriend has four children and he did not know where the family would spend the night. “Somebody ain’t got no heart, and they say next week everybody supposed (to) move and tonight they put fire in the place,” he said.

After Friday’s demolition, some residents claimed they were not given prior notice. However, in a joint statement released by the Department of Environmental Health Services and the Department of Immigration, officials maintained that Friday’s operation was “pursuant to lawful notices served on residents of an unlawful settlement”.

Immigration officials have also said the area is home to undocumented immigrants.

Earlier this month a 25-year-old man was stoned to death in Gamble Heights. That came two months after police fatally shot 30-year-old Nixon Vixamar, after he reportedly resisted arrest. After Vixamar’s death, residents of the area became irate with police, with reports that some people damaged a police car.