PIGGERY, Portland — Nadine McPherson is still struggling to come to terms with her loss after fire destroyed her house in a section of Rio Grande Valley known as Piggery on Sunday.

Residents of the community, located in the Rio Grande Valley, managed to save two other houses which were threatened by the blaze but there was nothing they could do to save the other.

According to McPherson, she woke up Sunday morning and went to help her best friend who was preparing a foundation for her house in Moore Town in the parish.

“I left everything in the house and said I would go to church when I come back. When I came back the house was on fire just after midday. No one was here, nothing was saved, everything gone. The nine apartments are gone, the kitchen, two bathrooms, four bedrooms, living room, and dining room totally toasted, and the verandah,” McPherson told the Jamaica Observer.

She pointed out that she was the only person who lived in the house as her children no longer live there.

“I lost everything. I ha’ve worked for 25 years and I have tried to make this place for me and my family. Everything gone, maybe you can find a pot but it is burnt. Everything — actually my beds, my furniture, personal items, shoes, everything is gone. I got some Bibles that I wanted for Bible study as I noticed that the children in the community do not read well, I wanted to give them but they are also burnt up.

“I am not sure how I will recover from this as I worked with Royal Caribbean [Cruise] and was to return to work in January but I did not get back my medical in time, so the time had passed. So I decided to stay home and make my living at the jerk centre [which was attached to the house]. Yesterday I just put on a little piece to make it a little better with a dining area and all of that is gone too. You decided to leave your job and this is what actually happens,” added McPherson who had high praise for the efforts of the firefighters.

“I must commend the fire service as when I came they were here but the water ran out a couple of times before they could have gotten through to out the fire. My cousins figured out that the fire was coming through the front room in the ceiling. They say that when they kicked off the door it was filled with smoke but there was no fire on the bed but when they went inside further it was all in the ceiling. There is no hydrant in this area and when the other truck came from Buff Bay, the fire calmed down,” said the obviously hurting woman.

She told the Observer that for almost one week she had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

“I picked up in my spirit at church last week [and] I said something is happening. I’m not sure what it is but I’m fearful. To me it was like there was going to be an earthquake that was going to be really heavy but this is really heavy on me. I have lost everything, nothing has been saved all to the back of the house destroyed.

“The community has come and really helped, everybody helped although I didnt get to save anything. Just these chairs and I am very grateful. My life was spared and I hope God will see me through just as he saw Saul through,” said McPherson with the hint of a smile.

One neighbour, Emil Crawford, told the Observer that when he heard about the fire he rushed to help and saw other residents trying their best to fight the blaze.

“So I just jumped in and help as well. When the fire brigade came we assisted them in all ways to help them to put out the fire. The fire department has done a good job with the help of the people in the community to get the fire under control. There is no water hydrant in this community but one is further up Seamans Valley so we sent the truck up there twice to get water and the other truck from Buff Bay come and the get it out,” said Crawford.

The initial estimate of the damage was put at $20 million with the cause of the fire not yet known.