Fire in built environment

Two children died after a fire broke out at a residence in Smith Lane, Parade Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday morning, September 12, 2026. The deceased were identified as seven-year-old Keriecia Hutchinson and four-year-old Samson Cameron both from Smith Lane.
Police were subsequently informed about the incident and officers responded to the scene of the incident at about 11:32 a.m. Following the arrival, they found the house fully engulfed in flames and immediately called the Jamaica Fire Brigade.
Fire and rescue personnel from the York Town and Trench Town fire stations arrived at the scene and conducted cooling-down efforts before bringing the blaze under control.
Once the firefighters had brought the blaze under control, following the incident police initiated a search operation in the area affected and found the burned remains of two children inside the residence. The bodies of the deceased children were later sent to the morgue and post-mortem examination is reportedly pending.
The Kingston Central Police are carrying on their probe into the cause of the fire breakage and circumstances surrounding the death of two children.
According to the preliminary reports by Superintendent Mishika Forbes, head of the Kingston Central Police Division, it indicates that the children were reportedly left alone at home when the blaze broke out. However, the information is based on the initial reports and this finding is not established as the investigation is ongoing.
Police have not publicly established what caused the fire. The devastating incident has left family members and residents of Smith Lane grieving for the children. The cousin of the deceased children referred to them as nice and loving.
Superintendent Forbes also stated the fire incident as devastating and requested parents and guardians to make sure that children are not left behind without adequate adult supervision. The cause of the fire remains and further details subject to the ongoing investigation.