Tragedy gripped an E-Field, Sophia area on Saturday morning, when a fire that was accidentally set by two young children playing with matches, claimed the life of their 11-month-old sister, Melveena Blair, and completely destroyed the family small wooden home.
One of the two young children who survived the fire is hospitalised with serious burn injuries.
According to a report from the Fire Service, the mother of the children, Tineisha Israel, left the children at home to work at a building located just five houses away. She was alerted when persons in the area raised an alarm.
The small wooden structure quickly went up in flames. The Fire Service report stated that it was found that the two older children, ages 6-years-old and 4-years-old, were playing with matches when the fire caught on to some combustible material in the home and quickly spread. The children made it out of the burning building but the baby was left behind.
Firefighters could do very little when they arrived other than to contain the blaze and rush the children to the hospital. The mother of the children broke down in tears and was consoled by her neighbours and other persons. She explained that she had just stepped out to a building just down the road.
The scene was visited by Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and Human Services Minister, Dr. Vindya Persaud, who both offered condolences to the parents of the child who died.
The Fire Service said the death of 11-month-old Melveena Angel Blair serves as a stark reminder of the devastating and unpredictable nature of fires, reminding that as the community comes together to support the grieving family, fire safety measures must be practiced to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
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