BAMBOO, St Ann — People cried openly yesterday as they gathered in the small community of Clay Ground here in Bamboo to mourn the death of three sisters who were killed in a fire at their home Saturday night.

The dead girls have been identified as 17-year-old Moya Barrett and her six-year-old twin sisters Teneisha and Taneisha Calder. Their charred remains were found among the rubble following the cooling down operation by members of the St Ann Fire Department.

Their 11-year-old sibling, Jodean Griffiths, escaped unhurt.

The children’s mother, Angella Newman, who residents said had gone to supermarket was hospitalised Saturday night and up to yesterday was still being treated at the St Ann’s Bay Hospital.

The Observer was told that Griffiths had tried feverishly to alert two of her sisters who were asleep to the fire and attempted to pull another from the inferno, but her efforts were unsuccessful.

“Lawd Jesus, Linette (children’s mother) pickney dem dead; Jesus Christ. Nobody couldn’t help them; we couldn't even go near the gate [as] the fire was too much; the pickney dem dead, Jesus Christ!” Dahlia, a close family friend, wailed as other residents of Clay Ground looked on helplessly.

The fire, which started after 10:00 pm, completely engulfed the two-bedroom board house, trapping the girls inside.

Assistant Superintendent Everett Williams of the St Ann Fire Department told the Observer that preliminary investigations revealed that the fire might have been started inside the kitchen where a gas stove was left unattended.

“The immediate neighbour said the eldest child was preparing food for one of twins who was crying; she said the other twin wanted to sleep so she took her to the bedroom… and apparently she fell asleep.”

Williams said the 11-year-old, who was up watching TV with one of the twins later saw the kitchen towel and a curtain on fire, and tried to alert the eldest sister but without success.

“Jody was trying to push one of the twins through the window, but she fell down and because the fire was spreading she had to let her go and jump through the window and run for help,” said Dahlia, who declined to give her surname.

“She run come to me and told me to come help her because her sisters burn up in the house; when me reach down there me couldn't go in; me couldn’t go at the gate; me couldn't save nobody; me couldn't save none of them,” said the woman as tears rolled down her cheeks.

She added: “A something Moya a cook for one of the twins to eat because she was crying that she hungry and the other twin was crying because she wanted to sleep, so she put on the food and then go put the other twin to sleep and a just so.”

In the meantime, Williams said although the firefighters responded quickly, they were severely hampered as they had to park the fire unit and walk about half mile through a lane to get to the burning building.

“On the scene there was no water, not even buckets from neighbours we could get; eventually the immediate neighbour who had a 600-gallon water tank allowed us to use it,” Williams said. Firefighters, he added, had to use a suction hose to get water from the tank.

Williams said damage to the dwelling and its contents is estimated at $1.7 million.

Residents said the children were well behaved, and they described Moya, who recently graduated from Ferncourt High two months ago with honours and eight passes in the CSEC examination, as a promising teen.

Principal of Ferncourt, Rev Lenworth Sterling said the entire school community was in grief as Barrett was one of his past students who performed well throughout high school.

“It’s just tragic; she did well and we were expecting her to continue doing well. Our deepest sympathies to her family,” Rev Sterling told the Observer yesterday.

And Member of Parliament for North West St Ann, Othniel Lawrence said he was shocked and saddened at the loss of three young and innocent lives.

“I went to the scene and members of the community wept. Gloom has taken over their lives in this senseless tragedy. I must express my profound condolence to the family and friends,” the MP said yesterday.