CLAIMS by the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) that its employees played a key role in rescuing occupants during Friday night’s deadly fire in Port of Spain have been challenged by a woman who insists the rooftop rescue was carried out instead by her husband and two other civilians.
In a video circulated on Facebook over the weekend, the woman said her husband, Sean Jobity, intervened after becoming frustrated by what she described as inaction by emergency services at the scene of the blaze.
According to her account, police officers, firefighters and T&TEC personnel were all present outside the burning building while residents trapped on the roof hurled bottles in an effort to attract attention.
“T&TEC did nothing. The fire service was on the ground the police were on the ground. The people were on top the building,” she said.
She claimed her husband approached T&TEC workers and asked that a ladder be positioned on a specific side of the building so he could climb up and assist those trapped. Initially, she said, the request was refused due to concerns about which agency was authorised to use the ladder.
“They said T&TEC cannot use the Fire Service ladder and Fire Service cannot use T&TEC ladder, and they had to call a senior,” she said.
The woman alleged that after waiting with no action, her husband climbed onto an adjacent structure near the Universal Church and pleaded for a ladder. She said one was eventually handed to him, and two other men joined him in helping occupants down from the rooftop.
“So when I see T&TEC getting praise for something they didn’t do, that is what hurts,” she said. “All they did was go up on a manlift and hand them the ladder. They were not on top the building.”
She said her objective was not recognition, but accuracy. “I want the narrative to be correct,” she added.
On Saturday, T&TEC issued a statement commending members of its Distribution North Emergency Crew for what it described as swift and selfless action during the incident.
“We are incredibly proud of the members of the Distribution North Emergency Crew who responded immediately to help to rescue a baby and others from a burning building in Port of Spain,” the statement said.
T&TEC named several employees it said were involved in the response, including engineer Crystal Moe, senior supervisors Odell Wickham and Gary Cyrille, crew supervisor Vidyanand Kanhai, linesmen Robert Nicholls, Akeem Demming and Xavier Lake, and aerial lift driver Eric Williams.
The fire occurred at the Coelho Building on Prince Street, between Charlotte and Nelson Streets, shortly after 9.30 p.m. on Friday.
According to the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, several occupants were trapped on the third floor of the building, where about 30 people were living. Four people, aged between 18 and 55, were rescued from the building and the rooftop during the operation.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze by about 2.30 a.m. on Saturday and later returned to conduct a further search after power was disconnected in the area. During that inspection, the bodies of two women were discovered.
They were later identified as 23-year-old Aaliyah Griffith and 60-year-old Susan Ramlogan. One was found in a bathroom and the other in a bedroom.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
