A YEAR AGO Vernice Batson was grateful when the Urban Development Commission (UDC) repaired her home, which had been damaged by Tropical Storm Tomas.
Last Friday morning she stared in horror as fire threatened to destroy the same house at Seaview, St Philip, where she has lived for 34 years.
Luckily, a neighbour managed to douse the flames reducing the damage mainly to the kitchen where it had started, while the dining and living rooms sustained mainly soot damage.
Recalling the terrifying incident, Batson said she and other family members had gone to bed leaving her 15-year-old son, Shaquille, in the living room lying on the couch.
It was around 1 a.m. when Shaquille said he had just finished saying his prayers and was falling off to sleep when he started to feel as if he couldn’t breathe.
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