Neighbours saddened by death of 73 year old killed in Frenches house fire

Neighbours of an elderly man who rallied together over the years to provide care and meals have described as regrettable, the manner in which he died.
Seventy three year old Angelus Robertson burnt to death in a house fire after his life-long Frenches home caught on fire on Thursday, February 6, 2025.

Neighbours told SEARCHLIGHT that the man was visually impaired and also suffered from mental challenges. The DeFreitas family who reside next to Robertson, and other neighbours from the area would take turns providing meals for the now deceased and also ensured that he kept up his hygiene.

“We call him Beeps. We cooked for him and made sure he got his baths. This whole thing is just sad.”

The neighbours said when the fire engulfed the residence, they launched into action to prevent it from spreading to their property.

“We wet down this side of the house and the Fire Service, when they came, wet the roof.”

They described the encounter as terrifying considering that the residence was a family home with one sibling now occupying it. All of the plants around the neighbour’s home were significantly damaged, windows were cracked by the heat and guttering melted.

They spent most of Friday cleaning up debris around the property.
Despite the relief they felt from being able to save the family home, those feelings quickly changed to despair when news spread that Roberton had died in the fire.

They family explained that the elderly man’s habit of leaving home to walk around Kingstown led residents to believe that he had not been at home at the time of the blaze.

It was only when ‘Beeps’ did not return home by the early morning that a request was made to search the ashes. It was then that his charred remains were discovered and removed by forensic personnel.

There was talk among those in the immediate area who allege that one of the ‘tenants’ may have started cooking and later fell asleep. The police have, however, not yet given a cause of the fire.

A family member who spoke to SEARCHLIGHT said he does not count knowledge of Robertson still being in the home as a “miscommunication”.

Stanley Liverpool, cousin of the deceased, has placed the blame for Robertson’s death at the feet of the tenant. He described the man’s actions as careless, stating that the tenant initially communicated that Robertson was not inside.

The building reportedly housed other tenants who were not at home at the time of the fire.