Trinidad: Fire kills man with Down syndrome after he refused to leave home

Died in fire: Rafi Mohammed
Died in fire: Rafi Mohammed

(TRINIDAD EXPRESS) When fire broke out at the Mohammed family home at Tulsa Trace, Debe on Monday afternoon, 87-year-old Shairoon Mohammed was carried to safety.

Her son, Rafi Mohammed, 47, refused to leave despite the best efforts of neighbours and relatives.

They say that he had not left the home in years. So when the fire started, he refused efforts to pull him out of the house.

Instead, Mohammed, who Has Down Syndrome, hid under a swing in the family porch as the fire consumed him.

His dying screams went on for minutes before falling silent.

The cause of the fire, which started at around 1.30p.m. was not immediately known.