Seven-year-old Hope Ganace may have saved her parents, grandfather and five siblings yesterday when she alerted her mother about a fire that eventually destroyed their home on Lady Hailes Avenue shortly after midnight Sunday. “My daughter came and woke me up screaming. ‘Mommy! Mommy! Come! Something wrong, something happening,’” said Pauline Rudder, mother of six, who was asleep when the fire began to engulf the only bedroom in her home. She said she jumped up, ran into the bedroom where she saw smoke and fire. The flames quickly destroyed three homes on the plot of land occupied by squatters, leaving thirteen people homeless, including Rudder’s six children aged nine, eight, seven, six, five and 15 months.
No one was injured as Rudder grabbed her children and alerted her neighbours about the danger. The other two homes on the lot of land next to the Roodal Public Cemetery belonged to Rudder’s father Neville Rudder and mother Paulette Rudder, who do not live together. The fire is believed to have started in Paulette’s house, who was in Tobago at the time visiting another daughter. Paulette’s three sons live with her and were also not home at the time of the fire. Pauline said her mother’s only concern was that everyone was safe. Minister of the People and Social Development Glenn Ramadharsingh visited the Ganace family yesterday morning bringing emergency food, clothes, temporary food cards and water to the family. “We came primarily because of how many children were involved. It’s six children. We will want to get them in a safe comfortable environment for three days until the authorities could kick in and help.”
He said the challenge in dealing with the situation beyond temporary relief was land issues as the houses were on government land. He said tenancy issues had to be investigated. Ramadharsingh said arrangements have also been made with the office of the MP for San Fernando West Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan and the San Fernando Disaster Management Unit to accommodate the displaced family. Rudder said she fell asleep while watching television in another room, while the rest of her family, including her husband Pradeep Ganace and six children, were asleep on one mattress in the bedroom. Around midnight, Hope Ganace, seven, who was the only one awakened by the fire, roused Pauline. “She (Hope) was sleeping, but somehow she got up and woke me up.” Pauline said. “I feeling bad, I have no where to stay.”
When asked how she was coping with losing her belonging’s, she said she was grateful to be alive. Before her nine-year-old house became completely engulfed, her husband managed to save their refrigerator and television. “That’s all we could have gotten because the bedroom was already gone.” Neville was even less fortunate, as he lost his 23-year-old home, and everything inside, except for the clothes he had on at the time, his cell phone, car keys and watch. The family took refuge on Sunday with relatives who live nearby, while Neville slept in his car.