By Adrian Frater, News Editor 
Firefighters conducting cooling down operations on the remains of a six-apartment dwelling house, which was destroyed by fire in the Sun Valley Road area of Montego Bay on Wednesday. One family was left homeless. - Contributed
WESTERN BUREAU:
A FIRE COMPLETELY destroyed a six-apartment dwelling house in the Sun Valley Road area of Montego Bay on Wednesday, leaving one family homeless.
The fire is believed to have been started by a malfunctioning washing machine.
Carpenter Leyson Tugwell, 42, his common-law wife Sheena Scott and their six children, were left with only the clothes on their backs. The house was completed gutted by the time firefighters from the Montego Bay Fire Department arrived on the scene.
Ms. Scott, who was at home when the fire started at about 4:00 p.m., said she noticed smoke coming from the bathroom where the washing machine was in operation. When she went to investigate, she discovered that the bathroom was on fire. An alarm was raised and the fire department summoned.
HUGGED WIFE, CHILDREN
"We lost everything, including travel documents and birth certificates," a tearful Ms. Scott told The Gleaner. "This is going to set us back in a big way because all of our earthly possessions are gone."
When Mr. Tugwell arrived on the scene shortly after 5:00 p.m., he completely ignored the firefighters and the burnt out building, as he frantically searched in the crowd of onlookers for his wife and children.
After finding them and giving each a hug and a kiss, he then proceeded to search for his dogs.
"This is a hard loss for us, but we will survive," Mr. Tugwell told The Gleaner as he took the first serious look at what was left of his home. "We have family we can stay with for the time being. We really don't have to worry about finding a place to stay."
While the family was too distraught to give a detailed account of their loss, a relative with an intimate knowledge of the family's possessions put the damage at approximately J$2.5 million.
