Tragedy struck on Crescent Road, off Waltham Park Road in St Andrew yesterday afternoon when three children, all under the age of 10, perished in a fire that gutted the five-bedroom house which they occupied with their mother and other family members.

Dead are four-year-old Moesha Davis, one-year-old Daysha Davis, and their five-year-old half brother who was only identified yesterday as 'Tyrese'.

Reports from the neighbours are that the children's mother, Princess Henry, left them unattended at minutes to 3:00 p.m. to go to the shop when she was alerted that the house was on fire.

Police have since commenced a search for the 27-year-old mother who they said fled the scene after it was reported she would be wanted for questioning.

Radolph Bartlett, granduncle of the three children, told The Gleaner he was asleep in the adjoining room when he was awakened by the smell of smoke.

"When mi look 'round I think it was smoke coming from next door, but when I look good, is fire I see a come from dem [the children] back window," he said.

Too late

Bartlett said he then remembered that the children were home and ran over to their side of the house to assist them, but when he got there it was too late.

"When I reach at the step is a ball a fire in there, so there was no way I could get in there," said the uncle.

He said he then rushed to the gate and began shouting for help when the neighbours arrived with pales of water and began dousing the flames.

Bartlett said he was not only sad but angry with his niece as this was not the first time she had left the children unattended.

"You know seh a di second time fire mek fi kill dem pickney there," he said. "The first time a mi and mi nephew rescue them cause she leave them lock up and gone," he said.

District Officer Patrick Gooden, of the Half-Way Tree Fire Station, said it took two units from Half-Way Tree and York Park to put out the flames.

"It took us about 25 minutes after arrival to get the flames under control," he said. Gooden however said when they arrived on the scene the children had already perished. Damage is estimated at $1.2 million and the house was not insured.

Barrington Davis, the father of two of the infants, said he was at a betting shop in Cross Roads when he got the call from the children's mother that they had died.