House Burnt Down in Caledonia After Mother Pleas for Help

The flames are gone, but the fear is very much alive tonight. A mother of two in Caledonia is picking up the pieces after a weekend fire destroyed her home, and she says it didn’t come without warning. She tells News Five the blaze followed days of threats from her ex-husband, warnings she says she reported to police before the house went up in flames. Despite giving a statement, she claims he was later granted bail, leaving her feeling exposed, homeless, and afraid for her children’s safety. Now, moving from place to place and relying on the kindness of others, she’s asking for basic help, and raising serious questions about protection when threats turn real.

 

On the phone: Fire Victim

“He headed out to Buena Vista and later on  he sent me videos showing that he was drinking with other women.  I don’t even know who those women were.  I didn’t pay much mind to it but said, “that’s rough, why are you doing that?” So he was in Buena Vista when he started sending me messages threatening me — saying he would kill me and other things. I got scared for my life so I hid myself. So he didn’t find me, and since he didn’t find me then he took it out on the house. He told my son to tell me  to take out what you need to take out from the house, because I will be lighting up the house right now. I don’t know what happened, and when I finally came out the house was already on fire, I couldn’t recover anything, I hugged my kids and said to them, ‘look what your dad has done, he’s left us on the street.”

 

As she searches for somewhere safe to sleep tonight, this mother says her ordeal is a stark reminder that reporting threats isn’t always enough, and she’s now hoping help comes before tragedy strikes again.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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