Two senior citizens’ lives ended in tragedy yesterday after they perished in separate house fires—one in Point Fortin, the other in Malick. Their deaths bring to five the number of elderly people to die in house fires for the year so far.
Yesterday, despite valiant attempts by residents of a gated Point Fortin senior citizens community to save their neighbour trapped in his burning apartment, 75-year-old pensioner Michael Cornum died.
While the cause of the blaze was still being investigated up to late evening, residents believe the fire started in the kitchen where Cornum’s charred remains were later discovered by firefighters.
David Cornwall, 70, who lived in the apartment adjoining Cornum’s at Techier Village, recalled that he was awakened by a noise shortly after midnight.
“When I get up I see my neighbour’s side on fire and he trying to put it out with a rag.”
He said he called out to their next-door neighbour Stanley Dick, 69, and ran further up the road to alert the matron Charmaine Billy.
Dick said each apartment had a fire extinguisher, so he grabbed his own, got two others and hurried across to help Cornum. “My attempt to save him wasn’t successful because when I broke the window to try to open it, the thing was so hot that I suffered burns on my finger and my back so I could not assist him.
“At that point in time, he was bawling for help—‘Allyuh, help me! Allyuh, help me!’ When the fire engulfed ... the smoke ... we could not do nothing.”
Shaking her head in disbelief, Billy recalled how she also tried to save Cornum and ended up being treated for smoke inhalation at the hospital.
“He was bawling out for help, but we could not get on to him. When we broke the window, the smoke just came gushing at us and we hearing him bawling and I just couldn’t reach him.
“I just get sick and the ambulance take me to the doctor,” lamented Billy.
Explaining that there were 11 homes, each divided into two separate one-bedroom apartments in the gated community, Billy said it was the first time in the 18 years she worked there that such a tragedy occurred.
“I want to know how this happened,” she said.
Cornum was the uncle of Guardian Media Senior Reporter Kevin Felmine. Cornum’s sister recalled that in his earlier years, he was a well-known calypsonian in the Point Fortin community known as “Sir Galba” and was a former worker at the Point Fortin Borough Corporation.
She said he was loved in the community and will be missed dearly. Meanwhile, Cornwall, a member of Tornadoes Steel Orchestra, lost all his belongings as the fire also ravaged his apartment. He, however, has been assigned to another unit.
Anyone willing to assist him can contact 338-2115.
Officers from the Fire Prevention Unit returned to the scene yesterday as investigations continue into the cause of the blaze.
Community mourning after Malick pensioner
dies in house fire
Meanwhile, Malick residents are mourning the death of a 78-year-old man who died in a fire at his home early yesterday morning.
Police said Winston Blake was at his home on PeaceVille, Upper Seventh Avenue, at around 12.40 am when his wife, who was in another room of the house heard him shouting for help.
On checking, she saw fire near his bed.
She tried to pull him out of the room and out of the house but ran when the flames began spreading across the room quickly.
Neighbours heard the commotion and tried to help, but were unsuccessful.
Firefighters from the San Juan Fire Station were contacted and they extinguished the blaze.
They found Blake’s charred remains on the floor of the bedroom.
Guardian Media visited the neighbourhood yesterday afternoon to try and speak with Blake’s relatives but were told by neighbours that only he and his wife lived at the home.
His wife was not at home at the time.
Neighbours said Blake was seriously ill at the time of his death.
One resident said an ambulance visited the home on Monday morning, hours before the fire started, but he refused to go with the attendants to the hospital.
“I remembered seeing the ambulance out there. They stayed a while before eventually leaving. I went over and spoke with him even before they called the ambulance for him some time ago, but I remember even then he was telling me he didn’t want to go and stay in the hospital,” the resident said.
“Who knows, maybe if he went with the ambulance he would have been alive.”
Blake’s neighbours said he and his wife were longtime members of the community and would often be visited by other residents who offered them support.
One resident said while she was not sure what caused the fire, she remembered seeing flames on an electricity pole near the house.
Morvant police are continuing investigations.
House fires claim 3 other lives
• In June, an elderly man from Chatham, south Trinidad, was burnt to death in his home. Ezekiel Juba, a businessman and active member of the community said to be in his late 70s, was alone at his Beach Road home when the fire occurred. His wife was said to be abroad visiting family.
• In early July, an elderly man died in a house fire in Laventille.
Eastman James, of Lp 13, Eastern Quarry, who was bedridden and blind, lived in a wooden structure. When the blaze was extinguished fire officers found James’ remains in the burnt rubble.
• Just last week, a 75-year-old Claxton Bay man perished in a fire after his home was allegedly firebombed. John Andall, an amputee of Springvale, died, while his wife managed to escape.
Police believe the target was a relative who was not home at the time.
