The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE charred remains of a woman and two children were discovered after a fire at a residence on Coco Plum Road off East Street was extinguished yesterday.

Although police have not officially identified the deceased, relatives told The Tribune that Timane Parent, 43, Ronesha Pierrette, 11, and Taylor Louissaint, seven, tragically died in the blaze.

Director of Fire Services Superintendent Kendrick Morris said, while not confirmed, it is believed four people lived in the home that caught fire. One of the individuals managed to escape the blaze.

When asked if there was any idea what may have caused the fire, he said: “Not at this time. My investigators are on the scene as you can see conducting inquiries as we speak.”

A neighbour said an aunt, uncle, nephew and niece lived together in the home in question. She indicated that Ms Parent was the two children’s aunt. The children’s mother died a few months ago and their aunt took them in, the neighbour said.

Supt Morris said that sometime around 5:50am on Sunday, Police Fire Services received a call of a report of a building fire on Coco Plum Road off East Street.

“As a result of this information received, the fire department responded with two fire appliances. Some six minutes later, the first unit arrived on the scene where they met apartment number two, which is a single storey five-room stone structure, engulfed with flames,” he said.

“The fire was quickly extinguished, however the scene was destroyed by fire. Upon completion of extinguishing the fire, a search was conducted where partially charred remains of three bodies were found.”

A woman who gave her name as Jertha Cdet was inconsolable at the scene.

She said the deceased victims were her cousin and godchildren. She had photos of the deceased children next to her as she spoke to reporters between sobs.

She said she did not live at the residence, but went every weekend to visit.

“My little cousin when I come here all he do is hug me and kiss me. Oh boy I miss you. They be calling me every minute [sic],” she cried out, describing the two children as “angels”.

“If I don’t come here for one day they be calling me and ask me where I am, when I coming. Now they gone. I’m not gonna see them no more.

“At least one should have lived. At least one of the kids should’ve lived. All them gone. They vanished. They disappear.

“They was so sweet and kind. Everybody could have tell you. The children (they) were angels.”

A neighbour estimated that Ms Parent had lived at the apartment for about four months before yesterday’s fire.

The neighbour said she realised there was a fire around 5.30.

“We were asleep and the boyfriend of the lady who died, he was the one who woke us up,” the neighbour said. “We woke up in smoke and the only thing we were able to do (was) grab our children and we came out. We were trying to assist to get them out but the fire was too strong already and nobody was allowed to go in there.”

The neighbour remembered the deceased were crying out for help.

She recounted: “The kids were asleep and I don’t know if they were up, but I know I heard screams. I heard loud screams. They were crying.”

“I wasn’t able to hear because we were in the road crying – asking people to come. Persons were grabbing buckets trying to throw water on the roof and stuff. They were trying to get them through the window but it didn’t work.”

She saw the remains of the three victims.

“It’s horrifying,” she said. “The only thing I could think about was that it could have been me and my children like that.”

Both of her children used to play with the deceased children, she said.

An investigation is ongoing.