ST CATHERINE, Jamaica— Fire investigators will launch a probe into the suspected firebombing of a house in Central Village, St Catherine, which resulted in a rapid moving fire that claimed the lives of four people, including a three-year-old boy.

READ: 3-y-o among four killed in suspected firebombing in Central Village

Superintendent Dennis Lyon, Divisional Commander of the St Catherine Fire Brigade made the disclosure on Tuesday following the early morning fire which killed a mother, her two daughters and her three-year-old grandson.

Superintendent Lyon told Observer Online that firefighters from the Spanish Town fire house got to the house around 1:54, after receiving a call 10 minutes earlier. They called for a second unit, which responded from the Waterford fire station.

He reported that once the fire was brought under control, and firefighters conducted cooling down operations, the bodies of three of the victims were found on the verandah and the fourth was found in the bathroom.

“During the firefighting operation, they observed that three bodies were lying on the verandah. They were able to bring the fire under control and implement cooling down operations. On entering the building, a fourth body was found in the bathtub in the bathroom. Apparently that person was trying to use the bathroom water to maybe ease the heat off her but she died in the bathroom,” Superintendent Lyon said.

He added that the bodies on the verandah were burnt beyond recognition and there was no evidence on the body found in the bathroom to suggest that she sustained injuries ahead of the fire.

“I think it seems what happened is that they reached the grille and could not get out, and the other lady, she ran to the bathroom maybe trying to be safe in there but the fire spread very rapidly, destroying the entire structure,” Superintendent Lyon theorised.

The identities of the deceased have not been released.

He told Observer Online that considering the sturdy structure of the house, which is made out of concrete and steel with a zinc roof, it is puzzling why the fire burned as rapidly as it did. As a result fire investigators have been called to conduct a probe into the origins of the blaze.

Reports are that the house was set ablaze sometime after 1 am. Residents in the area reportedly heard screams coming from the house where the incident happened.

This is the second suspected firebombing incident in Central Village in the last 24 hours. On Wednesday, a man was killed and his home set ablaze.