Fire kills 4, including a baby and a toddler; police believe arson was the cause

An early morning fire in Laventille Tuesday killed four people, including a 10-month-old baby and a 2-year-old child. Seven others are in hospital in critical condition. Reports say they jumped from the burning five storey building to save their lives.

Police have detained two brothers remained who are assisting with the investigation into the fire at a government apartment building at Trou Macaque, Laventille. They believe the fire was deliberately set.

The dead have been identified as:

• Destiny Lara, a ten-month-old baby
• Denissya Campbell, two
• Akeem Young, 15
• Lisa Charles, 46, a geriatric nurse

The injured who are in hospital are:

• Delicia Young, 18, Campbell’s mother
• Felicia Young, 22, Lara’s mother 
• Ashton Young, 16
• Beverly Julien-Young, 47, mother of Delicia, Felicia and Ashton
• Kadeem Johnson, 11, Julien-Young’s grandson 
• Charles’ son Josaya Charles, 8
• Charles’ common-law husband, Curtis Hyde, 39

Eyewitness reports say the fire started around one in the morning at the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) settlement. Police said people jumped hundreds of feet from the top floor of the fire storey building. Others climbed down bedsheets tied together. Reports say the building did not have a fire escape.

Senior police investigators believe someone set fire to the building following an argument between two siblings who live in the building.

A witness told JYOTI one man used a Molotov cocktail to start the fire, which spread quickly to the apartments on the affected floor.

One survivor, whose wife perished in the blaze told the Express newspaper: "I heard my wife bawling, bawling, bawling out my name and I was trying my best to reach her and no matter how hard I tried, I could not reach her because there was fire everywhere. That is hell." - (Click here to read the story)