Intentional fire next door leaves Charlottetown family traumatized, living in fear
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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Amanda Mensah Bonsu can nonetheless vividly bear in mind the early hours of Oct. 29 when her household was woke up by the commotion of cops and firefighters dashing about with hearth extinguishers.
She and her son went out and noticed the home proper subsequent door at 61 Bayfield St. was ablaze. Her condominium on the primary ground was only a few ft away from the hearth.
Bonsu stated her 10-year-old son’s bed room was significantly near the hearth and the incident has deeply shaken him.
“He’s traumatized, particularly after the hearth. He’s not sleeping. Even the lecturers are noticing he’ll faculty very, very drained. He feels very unsafe dwelling right here, even for him to stroll to highschool, which is actually 50 ft away,” Bonsu informed SaltWire in an interview on Oct. 30.
Man arrested
Cpl. Robert Larter stated the Charlottetown police arrested a 45-year-old man, who was later charged with arson.
On that day, officers patrolling the realm observed smoke within the air, arrived on the house and managed to place out many of the hearth. The main crime unit and forensic identification unit additionally responded to the scene, and the Charlottetown Fireplace Division arrived to extinguish what remained of the blaze.
Six individuals have been evacuated from the constructing and obtained help from the Canadian Crimson Cross. No accidents have been reported.
Potential explosion
Studying that the hearth was deliberately began left her feeling unsafe, Bonsu stated.
“This wasn’t {an electrical} hearth or one thing unintentional. This was any individual with malice that got here and did this,” she stated. “What’s stopping them from doing the identical to me?”
The complete household continues to be grappling with the traumatic occasion, Bonsu stated. She will be able to’t assist however take into consideration how their condominium’s proximity to the hearth made them susceptible.
“A breath of wind and it may have caught over right here. We have been feeling the warmth immensely, the burnt plastic. My condominium was stuffed with smoke. You realize, me and my son needed to stand out right here for hours in the course of the evening,” she stated.
When the hearth was lastly extinguished, she noticed the harm and observed it had began on the suitable facet of the constructing the place the oil pipes have been situated. She felt terrified on the considered a possible explosion, however she was grateful that did not happen.
“Thank God for these officers that had seen the smoke as a result of no one would have been alerted in any respect. God is aware of what would have occurred,” Bonsu stated.
Thinh Nguyen is a reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He will be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on X @thinhnguyen4291.
