A devastating residential fire in the Laventille community has claimed the life of an 86-year-old wheelchair-dependent woman and left four of her relatives without a home, just one day after another destructive blaze left 12 people homeless in Tobago.
The victim, identified as Elise Sarah Morris, was trapped inside the single-family home on Robinson Lane when the fire broke out on Thursday afternoon. At the time of the incident, Morris was alone in the property: her niece Alicia Morris, 42, who lived at the home with Elise and her three children aged 3, 10, and 15, had left to run an errand between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., and the children were playing at a nearby neighbor’s residence.
Alicia told local media outlet *Express* that she had arranged for someone to check on her aunt, who had recently developed memory issues and relied on a wheelchair for 15 years. Within 45 minutes of her leaving the property, she received an urgent call alerting her that her home was ablaze. By the time she rushed back, the entire structure was already engulfed in uncontrollable flames.
One brave neighbor made two separate attempts to enter the burning building to rescue Elise, but was forced to retreat both times due to the extreme intensity of the fire. First responders eventually recovered the elderly woman’s body from beneath the structure, which featured a mixed concrete and timber floor plan.
Alicia has ruled out electrical failure as a potential cause of the fire, noting that the property had been disconnected from the power grid for four months. While she could not confirm the exact origin of the blaze, she said the fire is believed to have started in Elise’s bedroom. Alicia told reporters that a passing motorist had stopped to light a candle for Elise shortly before the fire, and she suspects the candle may have accidentally fallen and ignited surrounding materials. An official investigative report from the local Fire Service is expected to be released next week, which will confirm the cause of the blaze.
For the Morris family, the loss extends far beyond the destruction of property: the Robinson Lane home was a multi-generational family property where dozens of relatives grew up, holding decades of shared memories. Elise, who had no biological children of her own, raised Alicia from a young age, and Alicia described her as a maternal figure.
Local councillor Adana Griffith-Gordon, who represents the Laventille area, visited the scene on Thursday and extended her formal condolences to the Morris family. She confirmed that initial emergency assistance has already been deployed to support the displaced family. The family was able to stay with a neighbor on Thursday night, and the Disaster Management Unit of the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation completed a full damage assessment on Friday morning.
So far, the regional corporation has provided three mattresses for the displaced family, while local Member of Parliament Kareem Marcelle has contributed a food hamper and a temporary food assistance card. Griffith-Gordon’s office is currently working to secure long-term alternative accommodation for Alicia and her three children, noting that staying with friends and neighbors long-term is an unsustainable arrangement for a family of four. Marcelle has also reached out to Vandana Mohit, Minister of the People, Social Development and Family Services, as well as senior officials at the Ministry of Housing to request additional support. Griffith-Gordon confirmed that the Fire Service responded promptly to the emergency, though she could not provide an exact arrival time.
Thursday’s fatal fire marks the second total loss of a family home to fire within a 48-hour period across Trinidad and Tobago. On Wednesday, an overnight blaze destroyed a home on Windward Road in Bad Rock, Belle Garden, Tobago, leaving 12 people – ten adults and two children – displaced.
