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Two Year Old Perishes In Fire
posted (October 27, 2016)
Last night, we told you about the fire on Hunters Lane in which a baby is believed to have lit a mattress on fire. Luckily, no one was hurt, and the fire was contained to only one room.

Well tonight another family is not so fortunate. In fact, they are in the throes of grief after their house in the Conch Shell Bay area was completely destroyed by fire. The worst part is that a 2 year-old baby perished in the blaze, while her mother watched helplessly. Our news team was on the scene, and we found the family on a day of unthinkable, unspeakable loss. Here's the story:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
Pain, rage, grief, and frustration… these were but some of the reactions that family members and friends had in plain view when they confirmed that 2 year-old Kaylee Alavarez had been killed. She was the victim a blaze which destroyed her mother's house.

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - First Responder
"It's very tragic, a 2 year old perished in this fire."

Odessa Orozco - Aunt of the Deceased
"When I see the house and I came outside to see what I can do, there was nothing I could do. Then Phyllis ask me for Kaylee and I told her that Kaylee is not in this yard. Where is Kaylee? Nobody could find her. She is only 2 years old. She is a sweet little baby. She likes to play around. She likes to come in my yard and play with my granddaughter Amaya and the rest of the children. She is a sweet little baby. She is nice. What happened I don't know. I can't believe it yet. When I look through the window I see this blazing fire in this baby room." [Crying]

The house caught fire a short while after midday, and it quickly engulfed the entire structure.

It is believed that in the height of the blaze, she tried to seek refuge in this concrete bathroom area, but the flames found her, and took her life.

The excruciating agony of being burnt alive, all the family could do was to comfort themselves with the possibility that the smoke inhalation claimed her life long before her little body caught on fire.

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - First Responder
"Everybody wanted to go in. We had live electrical wire on the ground that was sparking. I myself tried to contain the crowd. We understood from my arrival here that a child was inside the house. At that time we couldn't get in the house. It was already engulf in flames. The fire personnel were quick enough to wet the other houses around that house and they managed to extinguish the fire at the initial house that was engulf. So it was a caused that I know the fire personnel tried their best, but unfortunately a child perished."

"We understand that there were 3 children in the house at the time when the fire started. The mother managed to get out two of them and the other one who was in an area of the house was left behind. Unfortunately the 2 year old Kaylee Alvarez perished. The body has been transported to the morgue and we have fire personnel who responded very quickly to the scene going what remains behind from that unfortunate fire. We have detectives here. There are combing to see whether how this fire was started and as soon as we get more information I will share that with you."

After the fire had been completely extinguished the relatives of the baby wanted the police to grant them access, to see and confirm for themselves that indeed she perished. They got very confrontational with the cops who had to stand their ground, understanding that the family members were traumatized.

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - First Responder
"I'm friends with the family, so my heart is heavy for them. But at the same time we have protocol that we have to adhere to when we go to scenes and that protocol was followed. The body was transported to the morgue. I encourage the family, the love ones, the bereaved family that if they want to see that child they can go to the morgue and we have arrange that they will see their love one at the morgue."

"The reason we didn't bring the body out for them to view here, it would have been chaotic and we know that emotions run high and then you don't want to add to their bereavement."

Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"As a parent yourself, seeing these people who you know very well, what can you explain to us what is going through your mind seeing what they were experiencing live?"

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - First Responder
"Daniel, because of my 20 years plus experience we have learn to separate emotions feeling from what is expected of us. I had to calm them down and allow the officers and the fire personnel to get their jobs done and I did just that. I spoke to them and if you notice they we were contained in not rushing into what could have been worse for them."

As you heard, the mother, Phyllis Rhaburn managed to rescue two of her children. Reports say that they suffered minor burn injuries. She was beside herself with grief, and unable to speak to us. The police tell us that there were at least 2 off-duty firemen who were able to respond to the fire, and so the department was on the scene as fast as they could. They simply just couldn't control the fire in time to save the toddler's life.

We note that 2 year-old Kaylee Alvarez is the second child to die in a fire this month, 11 year-old Aaron Gabourel perished in a fire on Aloe Vera Street on October 4. Additionally, 11 months ago, three teenaged minor girls perished in a fire at the Youth Hostel.

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