Taken from Diario Libre
SANTO DOMINGO - A fire destroyed a boarding house consisting of three dwellings in the San Carlos sector of the National District early Wednesday morning , where six families resided .
Residents of the homes built with zinc and wood, located on Salcedo Street, near the corner of Abreu, said that the fire occurred at 3:00 in the morning and that they lost everything to the flames.
The 12 people who occupied the homes were asleep when the fire broke out and were awakened by the smoke.
They blamed the incident on a man identified only as "Coco." They indicated that the accused is the owner of one of the houses.
They claim that the man allegedly dropped a lit candle into a pile of trash behind one of the houses he used while consuming narcotics.
"That was in the early morning. My mom realized it, she lost power, but she didn't have time to do anything, not even look for water or anything, because that fire was too big."
“That man, while doing his drugs, lit a candle, and it seems that with all that garbage, everything caught fire,” said Josely Altagracia Martínez, one of the victims.
Martinez stated that the alleged perpetrator shouted that he committed the act while fleeing the scene.
They are asking for the man to be arrested and for the authorities to help them, as they have had to stay in neighbors' houses and were unable to salvage practically anything from the flames.
