The man accused of setting fire to a house that spread and eventually razed seven dwellings, leaving approximately 30 people, including more than 10 children, homeless in the community of Bellrock in St Andrew, says he is going to surrender to the police but needs to first get over the hurt caused by his girlfriend’s infidelity — referred to by Jamaicans as bun — that drove him to commit the crime.

“This girl don’t have nothing and she tek my things and give a next man? Me a try take these things off my mind before I bring myself in, because I can’t go to jail with these things on my mind. I will go mad. When you are with somebody for long it is hard to just walk away. I have to try and get these things off my head. I have the number for the police I am going to go to, but I have to get these things off my mind first,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday, two days after his action made him the subject of a police manhunt.

According to the man, he did not go to the tenement early Monday morning with the intention of torching any house.

“I took away her phone and she used her mother’s phone to text me in the night. I thought she was at her mother’s place, but when I went there she was not there. That’s how I said I was going to burn that part. I said by time they jump up, they could throw two pans of water on it and out it, not knowing that everything was going to blaze up and burn the whole place,” he claimed.

“Every day I warn the girl. I catch her doing what she is not supposed to do already. I told her to stop doing what she was doing because she is going to make the devil come out of me. I warned her and everytime she said she was not doing nothing. A long time she a do this, enuh. It kinda hurt because I go out there to look my own to come and give her,” he said.

Speaking to the Observer by phone from his hiding place, he said that he really loves the young woman, especially because she is brilliant, but he believes she has a problem with having one partner.

He said that over the four years they have been together he fully dedicated himself to her.

“I sent her go Jamaica Constabulary Force go do test to become a police. She knows not to do foolishness. I invest in this girl but it’s like it is the wrong girl me a invest inna. I told her I was helping her so one day she can help me,” he said.

“If she even have sex alone it wouldn’t burn mi so. I know it’s my money she tek and give to boy. Dat lick up mi head and mi get dark like mi nuh have no sense. Dem thing deh hurtful,“ the man said.

“Jah know star, a just because mi get ignorant. When things hurt me a certain way I just get dark to the point where I don’t want to hear anything and I just do what I have to do. I have been warning this girl. I give her a lot of chances and let her know nobody is perfect. I love her down to the ground she walks on. She is well bright, if I wanted to mash up that, I could have had two children with her long time,” he shared.

“From we have been together she can never say I have a woman. We used to share account and she bawl saying she doesn’t want to share [social media] account because she want to go do what she want to do. She not behaving herself,” he told the Observer, adding that he had warned the young woman to be careful because her next boyfriend might not be understanding.

On Tuesday, one female fire victim told the Observer that the blaze spread through the place like a raging bull.

“We could hardly find anywhere to escape. The girl was in a relationship with the guy; I don’t know what went down with them, but I only see him come back for his stuff then burned them. He took a picture of a bottle of gas and sent it to the girl’s mother and said he was coming back to burn down the house,” the fire victim claimed.

“Some people took it lightly. Call it seh Monday morning after 3:00 am I was in my bed and heard my mother say, ‘Fire!’ My mother got up because she smell the smoke. She [kept saying], ‘Fire’, so I grabbed the three children and exited the building. I was afraid,” she said.

Bellrock is in Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s St Andrew West Central constituency. After receiving a report of the tragedy he left Parliament at the end of the sitting and went to the community, where he condemned the crime and called for the full extent of the law to be brought against the arsonist.

“Bellrock is not a problem community. It is a community I am very proud of. The people all live here like one big family. The people take pride in their homes and are always trying to replace board structures with concrete,” the prime minister said.

“For one incensed young man who has an intimate partner conflict to destroy the lives of eight families and what they have worked so hard to build he must face the full force of the law. I am sure you are resolved to bring him in,” Holness said to Superintendent Damion Manderson, commanding officer of the St Andrew South Police Division, who was with him at the scene.

“For the families, the Government has provided some initial relief. I gather that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has provided some bedding and other items. That’s just temporary,” Holness said, promising the affected residents that he would see what he can do to rebuild houses for them as quickly as possible.

TOMORROW: The Sunday Observer examines the issue of infidelity.