(CMR) The Prospect house fire that occurred last evening after 8:00 pm has left some 11 tenants homeless.
In total 3 families with 4 children are now homeless as a result of the devastating fire at the rented house. There were no injuries reported despite the fact that several children were said to be home at the time of the fire.
Around 9:00 am the fire re-ignited and further fire resources were required to extinguish it.
Our exclusive sources indicated that they were able to secure accommodations for the night and that the Needs Assessment Unit (NAU) head, Teresa Echenique, attended the scene and would be assisting with fast-tracking the NAU process on behalf of the affected persons.
Prospect MLA, Austin Harris, expressed his gratitude to the Cayman Islands Fire Service for bringing the fire under control quickly and to others who were instrumental in providing assistance. He stated:
“We thank the Fire Service and their officers for taking quick action and bringing the fire under control in order to protect the surrounding homes. We also thank the RCIPS for providing safe conditions for the Fire crews to do their jobs while keeping residents safe. Also, a special thank you to Teresa Echenique who also attended the scene and coordinated efforts with NAU. Also thanks to the Red Cross for providing clothing and other items to the victims who required it. I also am grateful to the Community of Prospect for being willing to take in their neighbors in a time of crisis”
Echenique is Chief Officer for the Ministry of Community Affairs with oversight for NAU.
This is the third fire this year that has left a high number of persons homeless as a result. Some persons are now questioning rental standards and if government may need to consider placing restrictions on how many persons can occupy a dwelling house. One person commented:
“It's entirely possible that government needs to implement regulation to control how many persons can live in a residential home. Just like we have standards for occupancy of commercial facilities for fire safety the time may now come for residential homes to have this. I feel that persons will soon be killed if this continues unchecked.”
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