Elderly Woman Perishes In Laventille Fire — 14 Persons Displaced

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An elderly woman is dead following a devastating fire in Fort Picton, Laventille, on Wednesday afternoon (14th January, 2026). The deceased has been identified as 61-year-old pensioner, Verna Rigault.

According to reports, Fire Officers were alerted to a fire at the Picton Housing Development, which started around 11:00 AM, and responded to the scene. Upon arrival, they found the 3-bedroom structure ablaze and began efforts to extinguish the fire. 

After the fire was eventually contained, however, Rigault’s body was found crouched in the bathroom during a sweep of the premises. Rigault, along with her beloved parrot and two (2) budgies, perished in the blaze.

A mother of six (6) who lives next door said she heard a loud explosion on Rigault's property, which is separated from hers by a wall, and smelled smoke in the air. She said she alerted her teenage son, grabbed her 2-month-old baby and rushed to safety, unaware at the time that Rigault was trapped inside the burning house.

Even as she contacted the Fire Service, nearby residents attempted to form a bucket brigade. However, their efforts were thwarted by a lack of water and they were forced to abandon attempts to save the concrete structure.

The blaze completely destroyed Rigault's home, leaving eight (8) people homeless. An adjoining property housing six (6) occupants was also damaged.

Temporary housing accommodation was provided to the affected families, following instructions from Minister of Housing, David Lee. The accommodation was arranged through the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) at a nearby housing development, following a request for assistance from Member of Parliament for Laventille West, Kareem Marcelle.

The community's long-standing lack of water is said to have contributed to the tragedy, with Marcelle in agreement with that sentiment. While stopping short of placing sole blame on the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Marcelle said, “We really need to do better as a country. We need to do better as a citizenry.” Despite being on a weekly water supply schedule, he said the situation has worsened over the past seven (7) months.

Minister in the Ministry of Housing, Phillip Alexander, presented keys to the Rigault and Cabrera families, granting them access to emergency shelter. The Ministry said the intervention was aimed at ensuring the families had immediate accommodation following the incident

The Ministry of Housing joined the Rigault and Cabrera families and residents of Fort Picton in mourning her death.

Investigations are continuing into the deadly blaze.

More on this as it becomes available.

[Source: T&T Guardian]

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