By KEILE CAMPBELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
FOUL play is suspected in the case of a Haitian grocery store worker found dead after a fire on Wulff Road near Windsor Park last week, The Tribune understands, though police declined to confirm or deny this yesterday as they await autopsy results
Ken Donathan, a member of the family that owns the building, told The Tribune he was alerted by his nephew who lived upstairs about the fire.
“They were alerted that something was amiss, the floor felt hot and then they saw smoke coming up so they immediately got out of the building,” he said.
He praised fire services’ prompt response within 15 minutes, preventing structural damage, particularly highlighting Corporal Gittens.
“Cpl Gittens was totally professional and courteous in his handling and interaction with me,” Mr Donathan said. “He and his team rallied and contained the situation that could’ve escalated to a far more damaging and dangerous situation because of how close the buildings in the area are situated and the population density of that area.”
Mr Donathan noted that firefighters used a portable exhaust generator to clear smoke from the building and confirmed that while the upstairs residential area was unaffected aside from smoke exposure, further assessments would determine if any interior damage, including to the ceiling, occurred.
Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death. CID and CSI units were on site and the body was removed later that evening.
