3 homeless after fire ravages Smithfield home

A family that has called Smithfield, New Amsterdam home for more than half a century is now homeless after a fire destroyed their two-storey house on Tuesday. The blaze has left three persons displaced and destroyed household belongings, important documents and a workshop with millions worth of equipment.

Sean Embrack, 52, said he first noticed smoke coming from the ceiling at the front section of the building shortly after electricity was restored to the area. “All I saw was smoke emanating out of the ceiling,” he recalled.  The devastated man related that he could not immediately determine what caused the fire and was reluctant to speculate.

“I don’t want to speculate whether it’s electrical or what. I don’t know what it is,” he explained.

The fire quickly spread through the upper flat of the building, destroying three bedrooms, a kitchen and personal belongings belonging to the family. According to Embrack, the house was occupied by himself, his elderly mother and his 13-year-old daughter. Fortunately, no one was injured.

However, the family lost virtually everything they owned. “Upstairs was totally destroyed. All documents and everything. Vehicle documents, passport, whatever. Nothing was safe upstairs,” he said.

The fire also ravaged a workshop located on the lower flat of the property. Among the items destroyed were welding equipment, generators, concrete cutters, jackhammers, gas tanks and other tools used in Embrack’s contracting business.

While he was unable to estimate the total losses, Embrack acknowledged that rebuilding would be a major challenge. “What are you going to do? Rebuild. I’m going to start over. Basically, I’m going to try and see how best I can start over,” he said.

His mother, Charlotte Embrack, who has lived at the property for more than 50 years, was not at home when the fire started. The elderly woman said she was looking after relatives when she received a call informing her that her home was on fire. When she arrived, firefighters were already battling the blaze. “I saw smoke and a large gathering. Two fire tenders and a lot of officers trying to hold the fire,” she recalled.

The fire destroyed all of her personal documents, including her passport, pension book, identification card and land documents. “I have lost my passport, my pension book, my ID card, all my papers, my land papers, everything. I have nothing left. I’m just bare,” she lamented.

The woman said she is now trying to come to terms with losing the only home she has known for decades. “I feel very, very sad. I have to rebuild. I have to get somewhere to live because I can’t go begging. I’m a homeless person right now,” she said.