Stanley Minnis searches through the rubble of Eljhay’s Hilltop Cottage Ministries which was destroyed by fire on January 31, 2025. Mr Minnis received burns to his shoulder and face during the fire. Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
MORE than 100 people, including over 30 children, were lined up for help when a fire broke out at a community centre in Kemp Road, reducing it to ashes and leaving the community stunned.
Three residents who lived at the centre lost everything in the blaze.
The centre, located on the compound of Eljhay’s Hilltop Cottage Ministries on Sutton Street, had long served as a beacon of hope, providing hot meals, clothing, counselling, and a safe space for those in need.
It was destroyed on Thursday afternoon. Videos circulated on social media showed flames spreading rapidly, shattering windows and darkening the sky with thick smoke.
The Fire Services Department reportedly received reports of the blaze at 3.19pm. Upon arrival, officers found the single-storey, six-room building engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the fire, but the cause remains under investigation.
Pastor Laura Johnson-Taylor, founder of Eljhay’s Hilltop Cottage Ministries, lives next door to the centre. She was taking a bath when people began banging on her windows and doors, screaming for her to evacuate.
She said when she ran outside and saw the flames, she could only scream out: “Jesus, Jesus.”
Volunteers and workers at the centre noticed the fire only when flames began crawling up the back of the roof. At the time, they were distributing groceries and clothing to those in need.
Mrs Johnson-Taylor described the fire as a major loss for the Kemp Road community, particularly for those facing hardship. The centre had operated for 24 years, offering food assistance, clothing, after-school programmes, summer camps, community events, counselling, and elderly care.
“We are like the bedrock of the community,” she said. “Whatever it is that they need, they can come to us.”
The fire destroyed the centre’s bathroom stalls, laundry room, kitchen, and storage area, along with months of food supplies. Several televisions, computers, and children’s bicycles were also damaged.
When asked how much would be needed to rebuild, Mrs Johnson-Taylor admitted she was too overwhelmed to estimate. She emphasised her non-profit ministry must now start from scratch.
She recalled how her community work began in her home before the centre was built.
“The centre began in my house, but several years ago, the government decided to build a house for me right next door,” she said. “That is where I am at right now, because of my activity with the community.”
Adding to her distress, she said her husband is currently in hospital on life support, battling an aneurysm.
While the fire did not damage other buildings on the ministry’s compound, smoke affected Sister Annie Thompson Preschool nearby. The school was closed on Friday to allow thorough cleaning and smoke removal.
The Ministry of Education, in a statement, said that air quality assessments and sanitation procedures would be completed before reopening on Monday.
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