Gov’t to assist families displaced by major Kingston Central fire
Published:Tuesday | March 4, 2025 | 6:29 PM
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says the Government will move to provide assistance to families displaced by the major fire that tore through sections of Ladd Lane and Fleet Street in downtown Kingston last week.
It was reported that at least 10 houses were destroyed, leaving scores of residents, including children, homeless.
Holness, along with Member of Parliament for Kingston Central Donovan Williams and Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie, visited the area today.
The Prime Minister said the Government will be providing help, stating that it will try to do so as quickly as possible but noting that it cannot happen overnight.
He noted that humanitarian aid is on track to arrive, but said land ownership will be a factor in rebuilding.
“Before we can assist in any meaningful way other than the humanitarian assistance, which is already in train, the building assistance requires us to determine the ownership of the land—that’s number one. Then, we have to do some social investigation into the circumstances of the persons to determine the extent to which we can help. All of that will be put into motion to ensure that we can help the displaced persons return to some form of normalcy,” said Holness.
“We cannot build on property that we don’t know who owns. We can’t just go onto people's property and build, so we have to establish ownership. Once ownership is established, then we can determine what we can do, whether it is to replace a building or provide a grant.”
He said that for those who are living on property that they don’t own or don’t have title to, the government will still help, possibly in the form of building materials or some other type of assistance.
“I understand from the Member of Parliament that the land situation is being assessed,” he added.
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.