The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is investigating the source of a fire that claimed the life of an elderly man early Thursday morning at his New Kingston apartment complex.
The deceased man’s identity has not yet been disclosed to the public, but reports indicate that he was 70 years old. While the investigation into the fire is ongoing, initial reports suggest that it started in the penthouse of apartment six.
According to reports, the JFB immediately dispatched two units to respond to the fire after they were notified of the blaze at the Gallery Apartments on Oxford Road at approximately 4:12 a.m. In addition to the units that were dispatched from York Park and Half-Way Tree, units from Trench Town, Rollington Town, and another from York Park were also dispatched after an officer at the scene requested additional support due to the intensity of the blaze.
Courtney Thompson, the assistant superintendent of the JFB, shared with The Jamaica Observer that the charred remains of the elderly man were discovered during an inspection of the apartment complex after the blaze was extinguished.
“Upon arrival, the fire was confined to the sixth floor of the Gallery Apartment Complex, where one jet was used to extinguish the flame. Carrying out inspection of the premises and search and rescue, we would have discovered a 70-year-old male charred remains in the rubble,” Thompson said.
The assistant superintendent further disclosed that the deceased appears to have suffocated after returning to the building.
“We were told that the gentleman left the premises and returned to retrieve something, and he would have suffocated in the fire, and this would have been how he made his demise,” Thompson stated.
Reports state that approximately six families have been affected by the Gallery Apartments fire.
