‘Mysterious’ house fire unsettling Yambou family

A Yambou family is awaiting the outcome of a police investigation which would uncover whether or not their soon-to-be home was razed to the ground intentionally.

The fire that destroyed the four-bedroom concrete house started on Saturday, May 13 after 8:00 p.m. Justin Marks, the person in charge of the property and relative of the owner tells SEARCHLIGHT the fire comes as a major blow considering that he and his family were planning to shortly move into the house, which has been in the family for generations.

A section of the burnt out house at Yambou

Marks, 39 years, explained that he had already started the process of relocating household items including wares and furniture from his current residence, which was undergoing renovations, into the Yambou house. He said on the night in question, his uncle phoned him and raised the alarm about the fire.

“The fire was out of control. The fire truck couldn’t get to go up in the road because there was plenty of overhanging trees so we just used the water from by my uncle and try to out the fire but it wasn’t controllable,” a distressed Marks told SEARCHLIGHT.

The following day, May 14, Marks said that he checked the property and discovered there was a stone in one of the bedrooms. He also said he has a gut feeling that someone broke the bedroom window with the stone and then set the house on fire.

“The house catch a fire the Saturday, then I had went back the Sunday morning early and I meet a stone in one of the bedrooms. So I assume they use it to break out the window and then do what they had to do and catch the house on fire,” Marks related.

“The past weekend we go and clean up around the house, cutting down and trees and then on the Sunday me and my girlfriend go over by the house and clean out the house inside. No stone or nothing was in the house. We clean it out and lock it up back.”

Marks said he cannot shake the feeling that the fire was set by someone on purpose. He said the house was since inspected by professionals to determine if the fire was as a result of an electrical issue and this was proven to not be the case.

As to the motive for setting the fire, Marks said although the house had been in the family for years and occupied by other family members, including his grandparents and then his uncle who perished on December 25, last year, he does not believe that family issues had anything to do with the fire. He said the owner of the house, his aunt who resides overseas, had given him permission to occupy the house.

“There was no family issues with the house. I believe it might be jealousy. I was planning to move in the next day [Sunday]. I had plan to go and start sleep in. I usually go there on weekends and open up the house. Maybe they see the progress happening there and they get jealous and burn it down.”

Marks said now his family’s plans have gone up in smoke and the situation has been stressful for them. He said that he is anxiously awaiting information from the police.

“The matter is in the police hands. We waiting on some justice.”