(Trinidad Express) Four lost guns left five families without shelter after men believed to be gang members set fire to their houses in Phase Four, Beetham Gardens, on Monday.
Residents say gang members on Sunday night threatened to burn down the house of Ashley Alexander, after they accused one his sons of knowing about the disappearance of the firearms. Around 11 a.m., the men made good on their threats, leaving more than 20 homeless.
“I left my house this morning to go find out if I could fix the little situation here, when I got a call from my (grandchildren) saying men ask to get out the house and they light it on fire,” said Alexander, who had originally planned to deposit TT$30,000 she had earned Monday morning.
By 12 p.m., three of the houses and Alexander’s money were completely burnt. and several others were under threat.
“Even my dogs, they get burn,” said Alexander.
A soldier had to plead with nearby residents to aid the removal of gas tanks from a nearby shop as well as salvage furniture from the home of Allistair Farrier, whose house was also badly damaged.
The salvaged appliances did not do much to ease her distress of losing her home.
Fire officers struggled to contain the fire which raged for almost three hours due the close proximity of the homes. In the end five houses were destroyed.
One of them belonged to Alexander’s daughter, Nicole Joseph.
In 2007, Joseph’s home collapsed a week before Christmas. Through the help of good Samaritans, she was able to rebuild the wooden two-bedroom home but now once again misfortune has followed her.
“Well, thank God we still alive, it could have been a lot worse than it is… I’m trying to not let anything get me down,” said Joseph optimistically on Monday.
“All we have is the clothes on (our backs). My son is still in (school) uniform but life goes on,” said Joseph who spent last night at a relative’s home.
While the officers battled the flames, heated exchanges took place between residents and the displaced home owners as obscene language and threats were exchanged. Police did not stop the rowdy residents and only intervened when the situation looked likely to get physical.
