Young boy left unattended almost every day say neighbors.
Cul de Sac:--- A senior citizen identified as Simeon Freeman and an eight-year-old boy identified as Lusandro Freeman escaped unharmed on Tuesday afternoon when their wooden home on Plough Drive Cul de Sac engulfed in flames.
Fire Officer Antonio Gibbs said when the fire department reached the scene the house was ablaze and the only thing the firefighters could have done was to put the fire out and prevent the fire from destroying the nearby homes. Gibbs said at the time of the fire two persons were inside the home he said the elderly man and his grandson was at home when the fire started but they managed to get out of the blazing home before the firefighters reached the scene. As per the cause of the fire Gibbs said that based on the information they gathered the eight-year-old boy was trying to get something to eat and that started the fire. Gibbs could not say if the child was trying to light a stove or what he was doing except to say he was at home with his grandfather and was trying to get something to eat.
The fire officer said the wooden home burnt flat, no one was injured and no other homes in the vicinity were damaged.
Neighbors in the area told SMN News that the young child which they said is much younger than the age provided by the fire department is left unattended almost every day. The neighbors identified the child mother as Shirley Freeman whom they say leave her child alone every day and most days the child does not attend school. The concerned neighbors are calling on the Ministry of Justice to get child services to look into the welfare of the young boy. They said it does not matter where the child move to he will be left alone. They said the elderly man is constantly in and out of the hospital and the young boy would be on the streets at all hour of the night and even beg people for food. "What does a young child have doing looking for food to eat causing him to light a fire?"
Besides the welfare of the child whom they said are in danger, the neighbors said that there is an open cistern just next door which has created a huge health hazard for the entire neighborhood. They called on the Minister of VSA to get involved because he is constantly talking about zika and other mosquitoes related virus. The neighbors also want to know what plans does the Minister of VROMI has for Plough Drive and what is the task of the new inspector of VROMI who was recently appointed. The neighbors also told SMN News that the wooden structure did not burn flat, but it is badly damaged by Tuesday's fire.
