MASSIVE Fire leaves 30 homeless - ... 100-y-o among victims

Amy James, 100, and her 90-year-old best friend Vileta Taylor, sat barefooted, weeping openly as they huddled together for comfort.

They are among the 30 people who will not have their own roof over their heads this Christmas after a massive fire destroyed 10 homes on sections of Church Street and Love Lane in downtown Kingston yesterday.

When the news team arrived, fire personnel and residents tried feverishly to control the blaze. As the angry fire raged, both James and Taylor explained that they have lost everything and their only possessions are the nightgowns they were wearing.

"God please mi a beg yuh help mi. Mi mada whe yuh deh? Come help me please. Whe mi a go find money to build house? Mi can't manage, mi a ask God fi help mi," James cried.

The two women have lived together for a little more than 40 years, and have celebrated decades of Christmases together. But tomorrow, there will be only tears.

Like James and Taylor, 23-year-old Tyrique Burke sat in the streets, leaning on a fridge, staring aimlessly into space. His hair had splashes of paint; he had just finished painting when the fire started. "We were planning something big for Christmas. My ID burn up, all my money burn up," he said, shaking his head. Many other persons wept openly, some rolling on the ground in despair.

Kenseisha McGann said she was at work when she received the call her home was on fire. McGann, a mother of two daughters, stood in disbelief, as she too lost everything in the fire, arriving too late to save anything.

Public Relations Officer of the Jamaica Fire Brigade Emeleo Ebanks said they received the call sometime after 2 p.m. and four units responded to the scene. Ebanks said it was unclear what may have started the blaze, but angry residents believe a small fire that was left unattended spread, causing the damage. Loss is estimated at $10 million.