Gregory Park mother, kids stare down death by fire or gunfire

In a heart-wrenching moment of desperation, Christine found herself facing an unimaginable choice as she and her three children were trapped by gunmen in a burning house.

The young woman was one of the victims who had to endure a morning of torture on Saturday when gangsters invaded 44 Walkers Avenue in Portmore and fire bombed 11 homes, leaving more than 45 peoples homeless.

According to her, as the flames raged closer, and the heat intensified with each passing second, her mind raced as she clutched her three children tightly.

“The gunmen were firing shots to prevent us from going outside. It seem like they didn’t want to shoot us; instead they want we to burn up in the house,” she told The Gleaner.

Christine made her decision and she proceeded to whisper words of reassurance to her older children.

Wrapping her youngest son in a blanket, she said she threw him under the bed to escape the flames, but the fire’s relentless advance left her with no time to waste.

“I had to make a decision: whether to go out and take the gunshot or die in the fire,” she said.

Summoning every ounce of strength, Christine said she took a deep breath and hurled her youngest son towards the opposite wall, as far away from the flames as possible.

“I stop my breath, praying for his safety. He was stunned, but he remained conscious,” Christine said.

But as the flames continued to consume the room, she decided they would have to burst through the doorway and face their tormentors.

Luckily, according to her, by this time the men had gone to other houses so they were able to retreat to safety.

All this time she said her heart was heavy with the knowledge of what they had endured. But her strength, her unwavering love for her children, had carried them through the darkest of moments.

“I thank God that we survived, even though we have no clothes or food. Right now we have to sleep on the floor at a friend’s house,” she said.

With her 11-year-old just passing for high school, she is hoping that she can get help replacing back-to-school supplies.

Ruddy Mathison