Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/4288/-1/140/
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Fire Leaves Family Homeless: Victims In Need Of Help
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Three members of a family, in Anguilla, have lost their home and everything they possessed to a fire despite the swift action of fire and police personnel.
Vera Harrigan, who sustained burns on her face, arms and legs as she made her escape from the flames, was living in the two-bedroom apartment with her two young children, a boy and a girl Devaune and Didricke Mussington.
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The distressed family. Mother’s burnt face blurred at relatives’ request
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She reported that she was at the time cooking on Sunday morning, January 21. She left the kitchen to go to one of the bedrooms and on her return there was an explosion which sent the house up in
Chief Fire Officer, Horace Archie, said officers from his department and the police were quickly at the scene. He regretted that despite their efforts the largely wooden apartment, an annex to a bigger concrete structure, was completely destroyed. The two fire tenders as well as a loaded truck from Vanterpool’s Water Service were at the scene.
The Fire Service is of the view that a faulty gadget connection at the top of the line linking the small gas cylinder inside the kitchen to the stove could have led to the explosion and fire. Fire and police officers were searching the burnt out area for the blown off gadget.
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Fire officers inspecting burnt out ruins
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It was a well-equipped apartment with air-conditioner, washing machine, freezer, television set and other modern amenities. These, like all of the other possessions of the family, added to the charred and twisted remains in the pile of rubble.
It was a very sad and perplexing scene in which the small family, in a state of shock, huddled together in a vehicle and relatives and neighbours stood around in lament.
The family members have suffered a great loss at a time when housing on the island is very scarce and when the comfortable living conditions to which they had become accustomed, have suddenly given way to need, difficulty and discomfort. They will require much assistance from all charitable and philanthropic sources to rebuild their lives.
In the meantime, the unfortunate family is living temporarily with relatives at Shoal Bay.