There was also a fire on the Burrell Boom Road last night – and this one happened before either of those two in the city. It was a blaze that destroyed an abandoned house not far from the Data Pro compound on the Northern Highway. It started around 7:30 pm – when the woman who lives across the street from the house saw it ablaze. But the Fire Department was late to reach because they were almost run off the road in front of the Tubal Institute. As a matter of fact an oncoming cargo truck ignored their sirens, and barged into their lane. The fire truck had to take evasive action and actually had its side-view mirror clipped off by the truck. But that’s no consolation at all to the homeowner Pastor Fabian Rivero – who says he lost a $75,000 home with no insurance.
Pastor Fabian Rivero, Home Owner
“So when we got up there the whole already, it is a small stone house, two bedroom, was on fire so everything was gone. But it surprised me because
the house had never been locked. The fire fighters came afterwards and they just hauled the door, the iron door. It wasn’t locked. So that is what I told the neighbour that had the keys, how come this door was not locked. What happened, and she can’t give me any explanation about it.”
Jules Vasquez,
“What is your gut instinct?”
Pastor Fabian Rivero
“I don’t know. To me it is very funny thing. So by the time I got there everything was burnt inside, everything. So everything was lost.”
Jules Vasquez,
“And no insurance?”
Pastor Fabian Rivero
“No insurance.”
Jules Vasquez,
“You suspect it was arson?”
Pastor Fabian Rivero
“It could be. I don’t know exactly but it looks like because the whole house, how could the whole house be in flames like that.”
River says that with furnishings the home was valued at $90,000. Fire officials could not say what caused it but we have been unofficially told that it is not suspected to be arson as the fire seems to have started in the roof area.
