ANDREA Codlin, 5, was yesterday burnt to death when fire destroyed a three bedroom board house at a tenement yard at 26 Cedar Valley Road, a low income settlement in St Andrew known as Standpipe.

The fire has left 13 people homeless.

Andrea’s sister Vanessa Codlin, 2, who was also in the house during the fire was rescued by neighbour Deserine McCallum.

Andrea’s mother, Latoya Jacobs, 25, who was injured while attempting to save her was treated at hospital.

The large crowd which gathered at the scene groaned in anguish as undertakers salvaged Andrea’s charcoal remains from the water soaked debris.

Inspector Joscelyn Barker of the Matilda’s Corner police said the fire was caused by a flame from a stick of matches. Damage to the uninsured house was estimated $250,000.

“Me left the two a dem ina de house and just walk go a de supa market (about five chains away) fe buy something. Me hear dem say fire and me rush back to save them but me see pure fire pure smoke, me no know how it ketch so fast. Me go a de door and couldn’t go in. I don’t know what cause the fire,” said a distressed Latoya Jacobs.

McCallum said she was in the yard when she heard the shout of fire, “…and see fire coming from the room, I chuck the door and hold Vanessa an draw her out but Garcia (Andrea) was behind the door. I hold her hand and still drawing her out and mi brother (Dorrant) come help me and we get her out.”

Dorrant, looking surprised, said that when he saw the blaze coming from the house he kicked the door and pushed away his sister and took up Vanessa. “That time Andrea was still in the room and the fire coming through the door with a heat but a bed was behind the door so it couldn’t open and me couldn’t get her (Andrea) out. Me stretch me hand to hold Garcia (Andrea) as she was crying and calling for her mother, She couldn’t come out but the fire was very high and I had to run away,” Dorrant said. “I had to move because if I had stayed I would burn as the fire was coming up with a rage,” he said.

McCallum said she felt very badly not being able to save Andrea. “A feel bad, a feel empty even if me did a go get burn ina de fire me shoulda save her,” she said.

Andrea attended Campbell’s Basic School at 36 1/2 Barbican Road.

One unit from the Half Way Tree Fire Brigade conducted cooling down operations as when they arrived the house was already destroyed.

Last year 41 people including 11 children died by fire. And since the beginning of the year five people, including three children, have been killed in fires.