‘Mi couldn’t save nothing at all’ - Man cries after fire ravages home

November 01, 2019

"Me did have a likkle stove, and dat bun up, me iron, fan, TV and a portion of clothes and dem something deh. Di bed top gone," an emotional Omar Campbell told THE WEEKEND STAR as he stood in his burnt-out, roofless home.

On Thursday night, Campbell's house on Fourth Street, Trench Town, was devoured by a fire, the cause of which is currently unknown. The next morning, he was still cleaning up what was left of his home - chopping down branches that had fallen through his roof after a tree also caught fire.

"A Jungle me a come from enuh, a me friend call me and me affi a run fi come dung yah. Me couldn't save nothing at all! Me working clothes bun up, everything gone. The only thing weh lef back a one shirt. Me caan recover weh mi lost. Di whole a mi pay slip dem bun up. Me plan fi see if me can gwaan tek me time and fix it likkle likkle, because a me mada house enuh. Me mada dead lef it 2007 and me just tek it over," he said stammering, as he broke down in tears.

The 38-year-old is expecting his first child in a few months, so the money he will have to spend to repair his home is a major obstacle on his road to fatherhood. "Me a expect me first yute, so dis is a major setback. A dung a mi baby mada yard me did deh, and me neva realise seh a dem ting yah a happen."

Initially, he didn't believe when his friend called and told him about the fire. But while walking home, other people approached him, wondering why he was so calm and insisted that he run to his house.

"Some woman pon Fifth Street see me and seh, 'Yute run go ova, a weh yah do? Run go ova, yuh nuh see yuh place a bun dung?' A suh me run come ova and me see di yute dem a dash water ina di yard, so me just grab a bucket and start throw water ina di ceiling. Me a try reach fi mi document dem and fire brigade come and a seh me nuh fi deh inside."

Steve Ellis, a neighbour, told THE WEEKEND STAR that he was one of the first people to see the fire.

"Me did just done play football and siddung pon the wall a rest off. Somebody seh dem smell smoke, and when me look round me see di whole a di tree light up so me just get up and kick off di door. Everybody come together and start throw water. Everybody come together and out it 'cause more house woulda bun dung if we neva out it," Ellis said.

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