27-year-old dies in Manchester house fire; grandfather left homeless

A devastating house fire in Greenvale, Manchester, Jamaica, claimed the life of 27-year-old Leonardo Brown on Tuesday night. The blaze also rendered his 74-year-old grandfather, who is visually impaired, homeless.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene on Bethel Street shortly after 11:17 pm but found the dwelling fully engulfed. Brown's charred remains were discovered in a room during the cooling down process. His grandaunt, Panceta Hutchinson, expressed grief over his death and highlighted the family's struggle to assist her elderly brother, who is now displaced.

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My brother is currently living at [another sibling’s] one-bedroom house, so any help we can get to put back the house together, because my brother is blind

Adding to the challenges, a utility pole damaged by Hurricane Beryl obstructs the main road leading to the property. This damage prevented fire trucks from accessing the site directly, forcing firefighters to use a footpath to reach the house with their hoses. Relatives are appealing for public assistance to rebuild the home and for the Jamaica Public Service Company to replace the compromised pole.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the relevant authorities.

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The pole down from Hurricane Beryl, so the firefighters couldn’t come through this road. They had to go through a [footpath] to use the hose to out the fire. Nothing can pass