Tragic house fire in St Catherine places focus on building safety requirements

The tragic house fire incident in St. Catherine on Wednesday has placed even sharper focus on the need to ensure that all buildings meet stipulated safety requirements.

This was highlighted by Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott, at a press briefing at which he announced a 2 month extension of the building permit amnesty.

On April 8, a fire at a home in St. Johns Garden resulted in the death of 15 year old student Gabriela Wright.

Her brother sustained severe burns during the incident and has been hospitalized in serious condition.

Concern has been raised about the house only having one doorway for both entry and exit, so the lack of a secondary access point, that could have served as an emergency exit, may have contributed to the tragic outcome.

While noting that all details of the incident remain unknown, Mayor Scott said it serves as a reminder of the importance of buildings being constructed in accordance with safety requirements.

One such requirement is having the structure examined by the fire brigade to assess and give approval, once all safety measures are in place.

Mayor Scott lamented that many persons in the parish do not adhere to the legal requirements, and as such, the municipal corporation offered the amnesty, to facilitate regularisation and compliance. 

He said the response has been encouraging, so the amnesty, which expired last month, has been extended, to give property owners more time to comply with regulations.