OCHO RIOS, St Ann — One man died while 11 people, including four children, are now homeless following a fire in Drumcairn Place, Buckfield, Ocho Rios.

The fire, which started after 10:00 pm Wednesday, destroyed the 13-apartment house shared by the family.

There were allegations that the fire was deliberately set by Junior Williams, the person who died in the blaze. However, it has not been confirmed that the fire was deliberately set.

The fire reportedly started in Williams’ room and then spread to other sections of the house.

Williams was said to be ill and suffering from depression and as a result was hospitalised for a while. One family member said he recently discharged himself from the St Ann’s Bay Hospital and had been making suicidal threats.

In the meantime, a resident of Buckfieldsaid that although the house is located in close proximity to the Ocho Rios Fire Station, firefighters were unable to put out the fire. “When the fire truck arrived at the scene of the fire, the fire was only on one section of the house,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.

She claimned, too, that the unit was not equipped to put out the fire as it had a difficult time accessing a nearby hydrant and had to wait on another truck to arrive with water.

“Dem no know where the hydrants dem deh and when dem find it dem have fi a dig and dig,” another resident claimed.

In the meantime, Mayor of St Ann’s Bay and caretaker for North East St Ann is appealing to corporate Jamaica and other organisations to assist the homeless family. “They have lost everything and are in need of whatever assistance they can get,” he said.

— Renae Dixon