Disabled man dies in fire in Clarendon

A 60-year-old man perished in a fire that ravaged a three-bedroom board dwelling in Howells Content in York Town, Clarendon, early Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Frank Graham.

The Gleaner understands that Graham was hearing impaired. Graham's cousin, Maureen Gregory told journalists at the scene that the fire started some time after 5 a.m.

Superintendent Horace Thomas who heads the Clarendon Fire division confirmed that his team responded to the blaze.

With a look of despondence, Gregory detailed how her efforts to save her relative from the flames were futile.

Him have his side [of the house] and me have mine. In a the 5 o'clock mi hear him in deh a stumble, so mi get up now fi turn on the light and no light nuh di deh, so mi get mi flash light an' mi see smoke, so mi run outside to his veranda and to his house back, but a bare fire...mi couldn't help him," she said.

According to Gregory, she became Graham's caregiver when his mother died years ago, as he also had a disability that affected his mobility.

"It rough... him gone and it rough. Mi lose everything, but him weh gone worth more dan di tings dem," said Gregory, the sadness evident on her face.

As the house she had called home since 2017 transformed into a furnace, Gregory lamented over being rendered homeless, and seeing her belongings turned to glowing embers.

Anyone who wishes to assist Gregory may contact her at 876-534-9153.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown as investigations are ongoing.

- Olivia Brown

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