A family of 7, including 3 young children, is homeless tonight after their home in Lake I was literally burnt to the ground by a mid-afternoon fire. And if the story couldn't get any worse, a 3-year-old boy was responsible.
The Fire Department got the call shortly after 3 and responded to the scene on Mahogany Street Extension where the wooden house was already engulfed in flames. Their efforts centered on preventing the blaze, which was spreading to nearby houses. All occupants of the house including the 3 children were evacuated. Perdine White who shared the house with her daughter and her family was at home when the fire occurred. She said her grandson who was playing with a piece of firewood under the house started it. By the time she was aware what was happening, it was too late to save anything other than their lives.
Pedrine White, Fire Victim
"This afternoon I was in my bed laying down with my grandson and my granddaughter called me and told me, 'Granny look outside under the house, Jaron
put a fire stick under the house on a old mattress.' So I run out and when I run outside the fire had already catch the front part of the house already so I just throw a klim pan of water and I grabbed all the children and I run outside with them. I was calling for help but the fire had already spread. The house was in two sections. I was in the back and my daughter lives in the front. By the time I came the front part had already catch (fire) because the mattress was under the front of the house, under the house."
Keith Swift,
People will say how can you be asleep and have young kids running around?
Pedrine White,
"I wasn't asleep. I had just told her to put water in the baby bottle to mix the bottle for the baby. His mom cooks on fire hearth and she had left the fire sticks but I had told my grandson to out it and he said he had out it. But the neighbor told me that the pickney got a fire stick which was light from in the yard, which came out of the fire, and that is the fire stick the little boy took and put on the mattress."
Michelle Johnson, Fire Victim
"I came home just now. I was up at work and I felt funny and I said
something must have happened to my baby because when I feel that kind of way something must be wrong with my kids. So I come down and when I looked I saw big smoke so I was asking what it was and they told me my house was burning down and my pickney are in there. So I get frightened and I came straight here and my mom told me my pickney are not in the house and if I think she would leave my pickney in there. When I came the house was done burnt down, everything was done burn up and they said my son did it."
Keith Swift,
Were you cooking on the fire hearth?
Michelle Johnson,
"Yes I cook on fire hearth every day to sell food."
Keith Swift,
It appears one of the sticks was left lit?
Michelle Johnson,
"Yes because we always left it right there and then it out on its own."
Keith Swift,
What are you and your kids going to do?
Michelle Johnson,
"Well we just have to tek life the way it is. We don't have nothing to do, we can't do anything. Dah so I tek life."
The house was owned by another family member. The family is out of house and home and anyone who can help can contact Michelle Johnson at 602-9361.
