The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter 

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net 

POLICE officers on Eleuthera stepped in with food and support this week, donating groceries to a family left homeless by a fire just days before Christmas.

Officers assigned to the Eleuthera division donated about $250 worth of grocery items, including rice, tuna, sugar, cream and corned beef, to the family whose home was destroyed in Monday’s fire in Current. The house, which had stood for more than 30 years and was home to seven relatives, was fully engulfed by the time police arrived, despite efforts by neighbours and volunteers to control the flames. A nearby garage and an abandoned vehicle were also damaged. No one was injured.

Superintendent Franklyn Neely, head of the Eleuthera division, said the donation was made after officers saw public appeals for assistance circulating online and decided to respond as a team.

“They were appreciative to the fact that at the police came great numbers. I took the whole executive team from them. When they saw us listen, it was almost like Christmas, trust me, they were most appreciative,” he said.

The home is owned by the family’s grandfather. Danielle Delancy, one of the residents, said the family had been buying household items to prepare for Christmas just a day before the fire.

In the days since, a fire relief fundraiser has been organised, with organisers seeking toiletries, school supplies, shoes and bottled water to help the family rebuild.

Superintendent Neely said the response reflected the close-knit nature of Family Island communities.

“All of us are God's people. All of us are Bahamian citizens, and it affects one especially on the family Island. In that area that he's from is a close knitted area, close knitted community. I heard the cry. I saw a person posted their status that anyone that can donate grocery, clothes, anything. We just heeded the call,” he said.

The fire remains under active investigation. Superintendent Neely said support from the capital is expected, with Fire Department officers due to arrive to assist and determine the cause of the blaze.

The incident has also reignited concerns about fire response capacity in North Eleuthera, where residents again questioned the absence of a local fire truck. The nearest unit responded from Palmetto Point, about 50 miles away. Residents said a fire truck in the area had been donated by American homeowners on the island.

Superintendent Neely said government support for fire services is ongoing.

“I know that a few weeks ago a fire truck was donated to Whyme’s Bight community, and they are actually voluntary firefighters all over that - north, south, central,” he said.

“So it is not that we lacking engines and we have voluntary firefighters come to assist us on a daily. So if we get a new fire truck, it will be in addition to what we have here.”