KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The police in the western parish of Westmoreland have held a man and woman as investigations continue into the deaths of two children in a house fire in the town of Culloden, on Thursday morning.
The children have been identified as Jamar Reid and Romaine Powell, both eight years old.
The Westmoreland police confirmed that the woman in custody, who is the mother and grandmother of the boys, and her common-law spouse are being questioned.
It’s understood that Jamar’s mother was caring for the children at the time of the tragedy.
Her daughter, the mother of Romaine, resides in another parish.
It’s reported that the fire started shortly after midnight and when the firefighters arrived, they were told two boys were inside the house that was engulfed in flames.
The crew later found human remains on a burnt-out bed, and shortly after, the body of the second boy was recovered.
Fire officials have warned the public to safeguard their homes to prevent fires.
“Watch your cooking. Use safe lights. And wherever you have firefighting equipment, make sure that they are ready for use,” said Westmoreland fire chief Oneil Henry.