A 77 year old year old man is in police custody tonight – pending charges of arson. What’s a 77 year old doing burning down someone’s house? That’s what we asked until we found out that it was his own house! Jacqueline Godwin has more.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Why would an elderly man set fire to his own family’s residence where he has been living by himself? It is a troubling question for police and fire investigators including the family of seventy seven year old Henry Hemsley. What investigators and the family are trying to determine is if the fire was deliberately set because the fire victim is not well.
Shaien Williams, Grandniece of Fire Victim
“He is like mentally ill, he has diabetes and so he is very sick.”
The fire started around midnight on Tuesday. Earlier that day he had spent time with the family.
Shaien Williams,
“My uncle was at our house yesterday and he wasn’t feeling too good and we didn’t check up on him this morning because normally we check
up on him everyday and we were calling but nobody picked up the phone and that is why we decided to come here.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Where is your uncle now?”
Shaien Williams,
“Well the man in charge of the Fire Department says that he is at the police station.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Why?”
Shaien Williams,
“Because apparently they are saying that he was the one who burnt down the house. We don’t know exactly what happened.”
The blaze destroyed this two storey wooden house that was fully furnished. While no one occupied the lower flat, Henry Hemsley lived upstairs.
Kenneth Mortis, Training Officer - National Fire Service
“His report is that he lit the stove and by some reason the curtain caught in the fire and set the house on fire. We investigated this fire and we find contrary to what he is saying. We found out that in one of the rooms apart from the kitchen, there were spots showing signs that there was a possibility the fire was intentionally set. So probably in his theory, thinking that the fire started from the kitchen, it could have been a confusion between the kitchen and the living room. We know for a fact that it was only he alone who occupied the building and he was taken to the Police Department and recommendations were made for him to go seek medical assistance.”
The building’s owner is Francis Vernon who resides in the United States. It is not known if the property and contents were insured but the fire consumed everything that was inside the residence.
Jacqueline Godwin,
“This is a great loss to the family though because I understand the house is fully furnished.”
Shaien Williams,
“Yes I know. Everything was in there, everything. He cooks, he does everything but sometimes I guess, I don’t know if it is the medication, the effects from the medication that makes him get sick but he has diabetes and everything is lost as you see; eerything.”
The flames did cause damage to the home of next door neighbour Javier Flores who along with workmen today tried to replace what was lost due to heat and flames.
Jacqueline Godwin,
“You heard a lot of noise?”
Javier Flores, Fire Victim
“A lady from over there came to hail me and told me. That happened at about twelve o’clock the night.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“What you started to do? Take things out of your house?”
Javier Flores,
“The first thing I do, I ran out with my wife, just took my papers and stood up over there to see the fire and then afterwards the fireman come and the policeman come.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Did your house suffer any kind of damage?”
Javier Flores,
“Yes on that side got burnt, only on that side and my wires and things like that melt because of the heat.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“That was a close call.”
Javier Flores,
“Yes, close close, very close. It made me get frightened, very frightened.”
Seventy year old Henry Hemsley had sought shelter inside this concrete structure next to what is left of his family’s residence. The police found him inside the building and he has been detained. Jacqueline Godwin Reporting for 7News.
According to police Henry Hemsley has been receiving treatment but he remains in custody. Police can’t say if he’ll be charged until they finish their investigation.
