Carenage residents stood watching in horror as they were unable to rescue a 56-year-old man who was in his makeshift shack while it was consumed by fire, yesterday.
Tragedy struck days after Gary Nunes’ home, an abandoned boathouse surrounded by galvanise and wire mesh, was almost destroyed by down drafts from a hovering helicopter.
Fire officials said they responded to a trouble call around 7.20 am but by the time they got there and extinguished the blaze Nunes was dead.
Residents said they were alerted by smoke and saw the shack, which had one door, on fire. The fire broke out at the front of the shack and Nunes was trapped in the back.
Residents said they called out to Nunes until he awoke and tried to pull apart the wire meshing, while others tried to douse the flames with water. Nunes kept screaming for help until they no longer heard him.
Fire officials found Nunes’ burnt body face down in his bedroom. The officials said they were not certain what caused the blaze but saw an illegal electrical connection to his home. Residents said Nunes was a drug addict.
Last Thursday, Nunes’ home was one of three residences which were affected by a low-flying Air Guard helicopter.