The St Paul community is coming together, pooling their efforts and resources to assist a fellow villager, who sustained burns during a house fire, which completely destroyed his residence.
Tony “Radigan” Warren is now nursing injuries on the surgical ward of the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC) following the devastating incident which has left him and his five children homeless.
A fire razed the man’s two-bedroom wooden house on Sunday (June 16) as he was taking a nap ahead of visiting his ill fiancé who is in a care home.
Warren’s story is inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time as he has five children for which he is the sole breadwinner.
Reports are that his fiancé, over a month-and-a-half ago, had a massive stroke which left her in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital for some time before she was released.
She now resides in a local care facility and Warren has the responsibility of also taking care of her and her needs, as well as paying for her care there.
Feona Bailey, Warren’s good friend, in giving some background as to how the incident occurred, said that he got home from work after visiting his fiancé with the intention of getting some rest before going back to see her later that same day.
However, he was awakened by the smell of smoke coming from the house.
Warren reportedly became frantic after not seeing any of his children and went back into the burning house to retrieve them.
Luckily, Bailey said that they were not at home, but their father was unaware of this, and in his valiant effort to save them, he received burns to his face and left arm, both of which are now swollen.
According to Bailey, in spite of his predicament, Warren’s only concern is about his family, his sick fiancé and his five children who range in age from 18 to four years.
Bailey said that the children are now in different homes, which is strange for them. Two are with his great uncle, two with his mother and one is with another person.
Warren, a mason by profession, lost his car keys and his cell phone in the fire, and Bailey says he is worried because he is unable to communicate with his fiancé and his children.
His only concern is his family. He has not eaten anything because he is more concerned about them. He is selfless, a serious family man and a helpful person,” Bailey said of her friend.
Antigua and Barbuda reggae ambassador Gregory “Causion” Bailey, who is also a very good friend of the burn victim, having grown up with him, said he is saddened by the news.
Causion is now part of an effort along with the St Paul community to raise funds to rebuild Warren’s home, and for his medical expenses.
“When Feona called me and told me what happened with Tony, Tony is somebody I have known for most of my life – I grew up with him. But when I saw exactly the extent of what was going on, I told her we have to do as much as we can to help him in this time.
“When I saw that the house was completely burned down, and they had sent me some footage of what was going on, it pretty much broke me, because of my situation that I have been going through and I got so much help from around the world because of what I do, I felt the need, I felt that we have to do everything that we possibly can to help him rebuild, and also to get as much support as we can for the children,” Causion told Observer speaking from Florida where he resides.
The Antigua and Barbuda reggae ambassador said that he, along with other individuals, will be pooling together financial resources to assist Warren, and he encourages the general public to do the same.
Currently, the banking details are being worked out in order for persons to make donations. However, in the interim, a donation box will be placed at Bailey’s Supermarket and the Catamaran Hotel for those wishing to contribute to the rebuilding and medical fund.
Causion said also that an account would be set up at Kennedy’s Hardware on All Saints Road, which is where the lumber and other materials would come from to commence with the building process.
The reggae ambassador, who himself is recovering from stage-3 colon cancer, said some cheques have already been donated to assist with the rebuilding fund.
The Calvin Ayre Foundation has committed to offer its assistance, if needed, to airlift Warren for any further medical treatment, Causion said.
Bailey said that the entire community of St Paul is stepping up, as the MP for the constituency EP Chet Greene has offered his radio station as a platform through which the appeal for help for Warren could be made this Saturday (June 22) from 8 am to 1 pm.
