Trinidad and Tobago: 5-year-old accidentally starts fire, damages family home in Chaguanas

Trinidad and Tobago: A 5-year old child accidentally caused a fire which damaged the family’s Enterprise home very badly on Sunday evening, August 24, causing severe losses to the family.

The incident occurred around 7:20 pm in a studio-style apartment located on Railway Street, near Clarke Road, Chaguanas. According to police reports, the child had gone to the bedroom when he played with a cigarette lighter which set a mattress on fire and within minutes the little apartment was filled with smoke.

Response from emergency units

At the time of the incident which transpired in their home, the boy’s mother was the first to notice the fire and she immediately reported it to the Chaguanas Fire Services. Fire response was quick and many units were dispatched to put out the fire before it could spread to the nearby properties.

Although the emergency response units acted very quickly, the fire still managed to destroy two mattresses and did major damage to the kitchen appliances which included a stove, refrigerator and cupboards. Also, a part of the roof which caught fire had to be replaced and in addition, the floor suffered damage from the water which used to put out the fire.

Luckily, no one got hurt in the fatal blaze. The police at the site indicated that the building had electricity and water supply, but lacked insurance. The crime scene investigators are yet to ascertain the full scope of the damage.

This accident highlights the need to keep lighters, matches and other fire starting materials from children's reach in order to prevent such accidents. In addition, the targeted family is also facing the challenge of repairing their house as they are trying to overcome the sudden loss.