Barbados: Three people sustain serious injuries after home catches fire

Barbados: Three people sustained serious injuries after a house at Bayview Avenue, Bayville in St Michael of Barbados burst into flames on Sunday morning. The survivors were rushed to the hospital and the firefighters were called to stop and control the fire, aiming to reduce the chances of further damage. 

Two men and one woman who occupied the house are now being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the doctors have stated that their condition is normal. 

The incident was reported on Sunday morning and the authorities noted that they tried to stop the fire, however, they failed to safeguard the facility. They managed to safeguard the occupants of the houses who lost their livelihoods in Barbados. 

Neighbour Ganelle Holder provided information on the incident and noted that they smelt gas around 4:00 am. She added that when they looked outside, and they saw that one of the occupants were checking the gas and looking for the leaked portion. She further said that soon after he went back inside, and the house exploded. 

Neighbour added that due to the fire incident, they heard the screams and then reported the authorities for the management of the fire. They ran out of their houses and tried to control the fire but failed to do so. 

As per the reports, Holder added that her home also faced the brunt of the flames due to which her home also had minimal damage. On the other hand, Nellia Grant sustained heat damage and neighbours ran outside when they heard the explosion. Both the Barbados Fire Service and the National Petroleum Corporation had arrived on site and tried to control the situation. 

Netizens reacted to the situation and added, “There needs to be a public education program focused on the steps to take if you suspect you have a gas leak (smell gas). Something as simple as flicking on a light switch can be catastrophic, not speculating that is the case here.”