Hey tuners, read this article in the newsday last Friday, I would like to help out in some way, just posting in case anyone else is interested in doing same.
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,158443.html Family of 12 homeless
BY RALPH BANWARIE Friday, April 13 2012
Eight children are among a family of 12 who are now homeless after fire gutted their home in Sangre Grande yesterday morning.
The Beepath family’s home at Clarke Trace, Plum Road, Manzanilla valued at $250,000, burnt to the ground.
They lost everything and are without any clothes except for what they had on when the fire broke out.
Sylvia Beepath, 55, told Newsday at about 10.30 am, she was washing and hanging out clothes in a room when she smelled something burning.
Beepath said she stopped washing and went to her son Shastri’s room which was on fire. She ran out of the house screaming, calling her neighbours for assistance.
The neighbours using a bucket brigade and a hose tried to put out the fire but the flames raged on and made it impossible for them to remove any household items or personal belongings. By the time Sangre Grande fire officers arrived the house was engulfed in flames and they were only able to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby houses.
The fire officers had a problem in that the water pressure was low and they had to make two trips to refill the fire truck’s water tanks.
Beepath said the fire spread rapidly and thick smoke prevented them from removing appliances and furniture from the house.
“It happen so quick, I am still in shock. My husband died and left me in the house with the children, but no one is gainfully employed. All we do to sustain our living is making garden and doing odds and end jobs, when it becomes available. How are we to begin building a home again, my husband work and build, but we are all out of work,” Beepath lamented.
“Look at us we remain only with the clothes we had on before the fire, you see the children some only have on their pants, that is all we are left with,” said the weeping mother.
School reopens on Monday but all of the children’s uniforms and textbooks have been destroyed.
Among the affected children are a six-month-old baby boy, Amir, 14, Ravi, 12, Brandon, 12, Vishan, eight, Rani, five, and Kavita, three. Newsday was unable to identify the eighth child.
“Thank God nothing happened to the baby or the other children, but they are all in shock to see the place they called home is now ashes with only a few standing walls,” Beepath said.
The family have no place to stay and neighbours have volunteered to accommodate them temporarily. Some of the children were taken to stay with relatives, but Beepath said they wanted to be with their parents.
Councillor Ben Soodeen visited the family and is seeking assistance for the Beepath family.
An appeal has been made to the relevant agencies and the public.
“We really need your help, please assist us,” Meena Beepath, one of the family members, appealed. Anyone who wants to help the family can call at 322 -0856.
Fire officers are yet to determine the cause of the fire and are expected to return to the scene today. Police officers from Manzanilla Police Station visited the scene and are continuing inquries.
