The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ABACO resident Val Lightbourne and her family have been left homeless after a devastating fire gutted their home, destroying over 30 years of cherished memories and leaving them with nothing but the clothes on their backs just a week before Christmas.

Ms Lightbourne, a retired public servant, her son, and nephew, are staying with friends under separate roofs during the holiday.   

This incident is the latest in a string of house fires across The Bahamas, including a recent blaze in New Providence and another just last week in Exuma, leaving families displaced as the holiday season approaches.

According to Ms Lightbourne, the fire occurred around 9pm last Wednesday while she was out. Her son had stepped out to the store, and her nephew was the only one at home at the time.

“My nephew said he saw the power dip, and as he was walking through the hallway, flames met him,” said Ms Lightbourne. “He had to go back into his room, break a window, and jump out to escape.”

By the time she arrived home, the house was engulfed in flames, and residents were desperately using hoses to extinguish the blaze.

It took a fire truck about over an hour to arrive at the scene, according to Ms Lightbourne.

“I don’t know where the fire engine came from, but by the time it arrived, the house was already destroyed,” she said. “We didn’t save anything.”

The house, a two-story, four-bedroom structure with three-and-a-half bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, dining room, and garage, was completely gutted. Only the concrete frame remains.

“I’ve been living there since 1988, so you can imagine the memories,” Ms Lightbourne said. “I had a son who passed away, and all his pictures are gone. My husband’s memories, everything — all gone up in flames.”

Ms Lightbourne, now staying with a friend, said her son and nephew are staying elsewhere.

“I feel broken,” she said. “I don’t even have a feeling. I just don’t know how to feel. It happened so fast. We just stood there and watched the house burn. People tried, but the little assistance with the hoses couldn’t help.”

She raised concerns about the lack of adequate firefighting resources in Sandy Point.

“There’s supposed to be a fire truck here, but nobody saw it. I don’t know where it was,” Ms Lightbourne said. “The fire truck that came had to drive from Marsh Harbour, which is an hour away. By the time it got here, the upstairs portion of the house, which wasn’t touched for a long time, had already caught fire.”

She added: “This has happened before to another woman in Abaco. It is ridiculous that each settlement doesn’t have a fire engine. It’s sad because it keeps happening over and over and over with no results.”

Ms Lightbourne’s house was uninsured, but she is grateful that no one was hurt.  

“We have nothing left, but I’m thankful nobody lost their life or was hurt,” she said. “I am staying at a friend who was kind enough to take me in and my son and nephew are at another friend. So we are not together, but we will survive.”

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.