According to neighbors, an early Friday morning fire in Castries has left a family of five homeless.
Saint Lucia Fire Service (SLFS) Communications Officer Stacy Joseph disclosed that emergency personnel from Castries Headquarters responded at about 5:25 am to a call about a fire at Ti Rocher, Castries, and found a single-storey wooden house fully engulfed in flames.
“Due to water shortages in the area, the fire suppression team encountered some difficulty,” Joseph explained.
She disclosed that, as a result, officers from the Babonneau Fire Station relayed water to the scene from the Hill 20 water catchment.
According to the SLFS spokeswoman, the fire destroyed the structure and its contents.
The flames also destroyed a nearby vehicle.
However, there were no reports of anyone sustaining injury.
A neighbour told St. Lucia Times that residents became aware of the fire at about 5:18 am, but flames had already engulfed the building when they went outside.
“Luckily everyone came out safely,” the neighbour stated.
“We called the fire service,” the resident recalled.
He said a family of five lived in the house.
The neighbour told St. Lucia Times that residents were concerned about the likelihood of the fire spreading when they noticed electrical sparks.
“So what we did, we turned off the main switches until everything was calm,” he explained.
