Brave grandpa helps save daughter and baby from fire

Investigators say they have not yet determined the origin of yesterday's fire which nearly claimed the life of a young woman and her seven-month-old baby in Flankers, Montego Bay, St James.

The fire destroyed the Consumer's Real Choice Hardware in the community. The police reported that shortly after 12:45 p.m., residents saw fire coming from a section of the hardware and summoned the fire department. Upon arrival, the firemen could only carry out cooling-down operations as the fire had already gutted the building. The young mother and child, who reside on the upper floor of the building, were trapped and had to be rescued by her father and other other residents. Steve Sinclair told THE STAR that he was at home when his daughter called.

"Mi daughter seh 'daddy the whole place under fire'. So mi just hurry come down and wen mi reach mi see the heap a people out a di front a the hardware," Sinclair said. "The people dem help mi and mi just climb up over another part of the building and manage fi tek the baby tru a window. Then she (his daughter) search fi di key and manage fi come out same time." The mother and baby escaped unhurt. Owner of the hardware, Tennyson Bernard, said he has to "brush myself off and move on".

"I was not here when the entire incident took place, but I am just happy that my seven-month-old daughter was saved from being burnt alive," he said. Taise Weatherly told THE STAR that she and her younger brother Melike Marston also helped in the rescue effort.

"My brother and I, along with another male community resident Darlon Williams were among the first set of persons who moved towards rescuing the girl and her baby," Weatherly stated. "My brother even ended up getting burnt in his hand middle." Assistant Superintendent of the St James Fire Department, Keneisha Vaccianna, said the Ironshore Fire Station received the call about 1:02 p.m. One unit from there, along with two from Freeport, and an ambulance responded.

"At this time, the cause of the fire has not yet been determined and the fire investigator has been summoned," said Vaccianna.