Children die in house fire in St Vincent

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Police in St Vincent are investigating the circumstances that led to the deaths of two children after a fire gutted a house in Langley Park, Georgetown.

In a statement confirming the deaths of the one-year boy and the three-year-old girl, the police however did not release information about their identities.

Police said fire personnel along with police officers “responded swiftly to the scene to combat the blaze and secure the area”, adding that no other casualties had been reported at the time of their statement.

“A post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted to determine the exact cause of death,” the statement said as the police extended its “deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragedy.

“Investigations are ongoing and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available,” the police said.

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One of the occupants of the of the three-bedroom house, where at least six adults and nine children lived, sad the blaze took a long time to be extinguished.

The occupant, who asked not to be identified, said that one of the adults who were at home at the time of the blaze is asthmatic and another is “crippled”.

People who responded to the fire had asked if all of the children were evacuated and were told that that was the case.

However, others said they heard the sound of children screaming inside as the fire intensified to the point that no one else could enter the building safely.

The children's bodies were later found under a burnt-out bed in the bedroom closest to the entrance to the house.

An adult male, believed to be the children's great-grandfather, who was home at the time, is being treated in hospital after the fire, reportedly for a condition aggravated by the fire.