On Monday we told you about the child who was burnt to death inside his home after he had been left unattended. Well today it could have been two more, were it not for the heroic act of a neighbor who heard them crying and resisted. The fire started at around 11:30 at number 11 George Street. 7NEWS was first on the scene.
Ted Smith, Acting Fire Chief
“We must never forget to thank God for the neighbour who was so quick in getting out these two children today or else there is a high possibility that we could have had the loss of two children today again.”
That neighbour is Kenneth Sutherland seen here in the yellow hat and these are the flames he saved these two small boys from. They are pictured with their mother who was not at home – but left them with the baby sitter.
Kenneth Sutherland, Neighbour
“I am still shaking, when I got up there and saw those kids trembling and the smoke and the intense fire. I wasn’t thinking about my place. I heard her two kids bawling and so I rushed out and run up by the neighbours
house and opened the door and the two kids were just standing trembling so I hurried pull them out and brought them downstairs. The house was already under fire.”
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
How far inside the house were they?
Kenneth Sutherland,
“They were standing right behind the door and I asked them if anyone
else was inside and they said no so I just pulled downstairs and get them out of the yard.”
But the babysitter disputes that account.
Babysitter,
“I gone buy and I just left them with the neighbour for a little while.”
Jules Vasquez,
Did you leave something on the stove?
Babysitter,
“Nothing mi deh on, nothing.”
Kenneth Sutherland,
“When I came down with the kids I saw the person coming inside the yard and I said something to her, I think it wasn’t so pleasant about leaving these kids like this.”
Jules Vasquez,
Now I don’t want to put you in dispute with your neighbours but the truth is the truth, the woman I spoke to said nobody was left in the house.
Kenneth Sutherland,
“I brought two kids from the house.”
Brualio Juarez, Grandfather
“Information I got is that the kids were across at the neighbour down there and the lady who was taking care of them went across to Melchorcito to buy a pair of brief for the little boy who was going back to school and when she came back everything was already on fire in split seconds.”
Brualio Jaurez was not there and came this morning to support his daughter. As the evidence of the inside shows, the family lost everything. But it could have been significantly worse, because when the fire team arrived at the scene, the eaves of the two adjoining homes were on fire. One of those homes is an old wooden building.
Kenneth Sutherland,
“I would really like to thank the fire people, they really did a good job or else my whole house would have been burnt down.”
Ted Smith,
“I am very well satisfied with the performance of the team that responded to contain and extinguish that fire that occurred today.”
Anyone who wants to assist Juarez’s family can call 668-3462 or 610-1419.
