A 32-year-old woman is calling on the public for help in finding a place for herself and her three young children after a fire gutted the family’s home in Moruga on the night of June 17.
Kidney patient Anna Balbosa said after a domestic dispute at the family’s home in St Mary’s Village, she and her children,12, eight, and six, sought temporary refuge at the home of relatives in Santa Maria Village.
Less than 12 hours later, at around 8 am on June 18, when she returned home, she found the two-bedroom wooden house had been reduced to ashes.
“I went back to get their birth papers and things for school – they go to Rock River RC Primary School.
“The house was no longer there. Everything was burned down, including the fridge, the stove and the three tanks,” Balbosa said.
“I have nowhere to stay with my children. We have nothing. I have been living there for about 13 years.”
The house was wired for electricity but was not yet connected.
On the brink of tears, Balbosa said she and a male relative, a 31-year-old construction worker originally from Mayaro, had an argument in which she was assaulted.
Balbosa said the police were called in, and the officers who responded warned him about his behavior.
They dropped Balbosa and her children at the relative’s home to spend the night.
Up to the afternoon of June 18, she did not know his whereabouts.
Newsday learned that the Princes Town fire officers responded to a report of the fire at around 11 pm on June 17, but despite their best efforts, the house was completely gutted.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Investigations are ongoing.
Councillor for Hindustan/St Mary’s Anwar Renne told Newsday he was alerted about the fire on June 18, but had not yet had a chance to visit and meet the affected family. He promised to visit them later in the day.
Anyone willing to help can call Balbosa at 317-8764.
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