Another victim succumbs to Jacques Road fire
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The police are confirming that a second victim who was injured in the fire on Jacques Avenue, off Mountain View Avenue in St Andrew, on Sunday, succumbed to his injuries about 1:00 am today.
He has been identified as 14-year-old Sanjay Williams of Jacques Road.
Reports from the Mountain View Police are that about 2:35 pm individuals were illegally filling compressed gas cylinders from a storage tank attached to the back of a motor truck.
It is reported that during the extraction process, one of the cylinders caught fire and subsequently exploded. The explosion resulted in five people being seriously injured and major damage to several properties. Three units from the Fire Department responded and prevented further injury or damage to property.
All five injured people, including two teenage boys, were taken to the hospital by police officers who were on the scene.
Forty-eight-year-old Everett Austin of Jacques Road died on Monday as a result of injuries he sustained during the explosion. The other three victims remain hospitalised.
The damage to the properties is estimated at approximately J$38 million.