Ten left homeless after Grill fire destroys homes and shops in Westmoreland

Ten people, including children, were left without shelter after fire swept through a yard on Nonparial Road in Grill, Westmoreland, on Monday. The blaze began shortly after 4:30 and destroyed three houses and two shops. No injuries were reported.

The affected families have relocated to a neighbouring community, TVJ News understands. At least two councillors on the Manchester Municipal Corporation are calling on the corporation to provide funds to councillors so they can assist fire victims in their divisions.

Grove Town Division Councillor Isoil Cherry Brown said victims of fire find it extremely difficult to restart their lives and often turn to their representatives for help, but councillors frequently lack the money and other resources to respond.

"We go there. But we are the counsellors person for us. They need to see that we can do something for them and we can't do anything. Let us all support it. Something no matter how little it is," Brown said.

Superintendent Emerick Needam, head of the Manchester division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, said his department reaches out to fire victims to help with varying needs. "As an organization, we struggled with going out there, putting out fires and seeing persons homeless, not knowing what to do," he said. "Yes, we are advised to point them to the departments that can render assistance like Ministry of Labor, Red Cross and all the other agency who tend to be able to help."

In St. James, the Universal Service Fund has restored all community and public Wi-Fi sites through its Connect the West initiative. The agency officially launched 30 sites on Friday. Chief Executive Officer Charlton McFarland said damage to several locations after Hurricane Melissa allowed the USF to rebuild and strengthen the network. More than 280 community Wi-Fi sites have been reconnected across Jamaica, using fibre, solar and satellite connectivity. St. James Central Member of Parliament Heroy Clark praised efforts to widen digital access, noting that free community Wi-Fi helps students complete schoolwork when home internet is unaffordable.

Bank of Jamaica data show that assets of Jamaica's commercial banking sector stood at approximately $2.8 trillion at the end of the first quarter, representing about 74% of projected gross domestic product. NCB Jamaica remained the country's largest commercial bank with assets of $977.5 billion, followed by Scotia Bank Jamaica with $747.8 billion and JN Bank with $289.7 billion. Sagicor Bank Jamaica was next, followed by JMMB, CIBC Jamaica and Citibank Jamaica. No data were reported for First Global Bank for the period under review.

In regional news, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States has agreed to establish a high-level advisory team to guide negotiations with the United States on accepting a limited number of non-criminal third-country nationals and refugees. Antigua and Barbuda has rejected a reported US proposal to accept 120 deportees, saying it is only prepared to take up to 10 people a year and will not accept criminals.

Internationally, a police officer is among three people dead after a shooting in Montreal. Officer Muhammad Lamine was killed after police responded to reports of a man pointing a gun from a hotel window. A civilian and the suspect also died, while a second officer was shot and remains in stable condition. Authorities are reviewing a more than 100-page manifesto believed to be linked to the gunman.