Hopewell, Hanover — Investigators are probing the reason for a Saturday morning hearth on Camp Highway in Hopewell that claimed the lifetime of 81-year-old Josephine McLaren, simply weeks earlier than her 82nd birthday on January 22.
Neighbours seen flames engulfing McLaren’s two-storey dwelling round 11:30 a.m. and rushed to extinguish the blaze. Throughout their efforts, they found McLaren’s charred stays on the bottom flooring.
The invention has raised questions amongst residents, as McLaren usually resided on the higher flooring of the house. The bottom flooring, in line with locals, was rented out to a tenant who was reportedly away on the Montego Bay market when the fireplace broke out.
“We nuh know what a gwaan as a result of the man wasn’t dwelling and she or he wouldn’t usually go into the man place,” mentioned a neighbour who spoke anonymously.
Whereas the fireplace destroyed a mattress and different furnishings, neighbours’ fast response prevented it from spreading additional.
The group has been left in shock and confusion. “This unusual man, this unusual,” remarked a neighbour who declined to offer their identify.
Authorities haven’t but decided the reason for the fireplace or the circumstances that led McLaren to the bottom flooring. Investigations are ongoing.
