FIVE-year-old Nashaun Wright (affectionately called ‘Nash’) was a very energetic and spirited young boy, who was eagerly looking forward to celebrating his sixth birthday yesterday.

But he did not get to blow out the six candles on his birthday cake as he had hoped. He was burnt to death in a fire at his home at 12 Prince-Of-Wales Street in the Allman Town, Kingston on Saturday.

The fire left close to eight persons homeless as they lost everything in the blaze. According to investigators from the Kingston Central Police and the accounts of several persons at the scene, the fire was allegedly started by the little boy whose life it claimed.

A statement from the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) said about 6:00 pm, Nashaun was left in the care of his grandmother by his 27-year-old mother, who went to a nearby shop. On her return she saw the house on fire. An alarm was made and the fire brigade summoned. Four units from the York Town and Rollington Town Fire Departments carried out cooling down operations, after which the child’s body was found among the rubble. The four-bedroom house, rented by its occupants, was not insured.

Loss is estimated at $1.5 million.

Ajani Willoughby, one of the occupants of the tenement dwelling who lost everything, told the Observer that on Saturday evening, Nashaun was at home “giving trouble”. He was sent outside to play but quietly snuck back into the front room of the house and hid under the bed, playing with what they now believe to be a box of matches.

“Ah inna the front room the fire start from, and when [Nash] realise seh him do something wrong, him run outside and then sneak back into one of the other room to hide. That’s why we couldn’t find him,” said Willoughby, nervously swilling some liquor as he spoke.

As news of the tragedy spread Saturday evening into nightfall, scores of residents crowded around the fire-ravaged house. But police officers at the scene prevented them from getting in the way of firefighters carrying out their tasks.

Nashaun’s mother, Camika Morgan, a single parent, was too overcome with grief to speak to the Observer and had to be taken to the nearby Salvation Army Church for counselling, where she also gave statements to a senior officer from the fire service between sobs.

Willoughby’s father, Arland, who also lived at the premises but was not at home when the fire started, said he was devastated when he heard that someone had died in the blaze. A driver by occupation, he said he doesn’t know how he will get back on his feet as he, too, lost valuable items in the fire.

“Bwoy mi nuh know how we ah guh get back. Everything gone. Mi son tings bun up, my tings bun up. It just rough,” the senior Willoughby told the Observer.

Meanwhile, the Allman Town police say they are continuing their investigations into the incident.