Fire destroys home rebuilt after Hurricane Melissa

Edgar Woodburn, 67, spent months rebuilding his home in Newport, Mandeville, Manchester, after it was damaged by Hurricane Melissa last October, and was finally looking forward to moving back in.

Instead, he is now trying to come to terms with the devastating reality that the house was reduced to ashes by fire the very night before he was to return.

“Mi nuh doing well at all. This just unreal and mi can’t believe,” Woodburn told THE STAR yesterday. Woodburn explained that he had not been sleeping at the house while extensive renovation work, which was now complete, was being carried out.

“Mi leff down a di house bout 7 yesterday (Sunday) morning because mi carry mi girlfriend go show har di place. Mi nuh sleep a di house, so mi never go back until mi get di call,” he said. Hours later, he received the news that would shatter all of his hard work.

“Is a phone call mi get seh di house a bun down. Somebody tell mi seh it start around 8:30,” he said.

The blaze completely destroyed the two-bedroom house, including the living and dining areas, kitchen, bathroom and verandah.

“Everything gone. Documents, clothes, furniture. Nothing nuh save,” Woodburn lamented.

The loss is especially painful because Woodburn had poured plenty of labour and savings into restoring the house after Hurricane Melissa left it damaged.

“Mi push and work so hard fi get back pon mi foot with rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa. Mi just fix back di ceiling fi mi room and di verandah, and di hall ceiling mi did plan fi do next. Mi all buy di material fi finish and dem bun up. Everything bun up. Now it’s like mi a start life all over again after mi work so hard,” he said.

Initially, he struggled to believe the news that his dwelling had gone up in smoke.

“Mi friend call me and tell me seh mi house a burn dung. Mi run him weh a seh nothing like that because mi pass deh and nothing like that,” he said.

“Mi move anyways and rush go look. When mi reach round a di front part a di house and look down di gully, a pure black mi see.” Even then, the full weight of the tragedy had not yet hit him.

“When mi see seh di house really a bun down me shock. All mi haffi say a ‘Jah know.’ But yuh know when mi halla? This morning when mi go dung deh and really see di destruction,” he said yesterday.