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The Tribune
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Volume: 122 No. 189, August 26, 2025
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13-YEAR-OLD DIES IN HOUSE INFERNO Heartbreaking screams for help as neighbours tackle blaze in vain
SCENE of the devastating house fire in Abaco. BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A 13-year-old boy died when a fire broke out at the friend’s house he was staying in overnight, turning the building into a blazing inferno. The heartbreaking cries of the youngster screaming for help filled the air as neighbours tried desperately to rescue him
by breaking windows and throwing buckets of water at the single-storey wooden house in Crown Haven, Abaco, at 3am on Monday morning. But their valiant efforts were in vain and the boy, identified as Montana Ferguson, died at the scene. Homeowner, Ocianna Scott and her three children escaped but lost everything in the fire. It took firefighters nearly an hour to arrive from Cooper’s Town, about
40 to 50 minutes away. By then, the house had been completely destroyed. The tragedy has renewed urgent calls for a fire truck and hydrants in the Little Abaco communities. Police confirmed a juvenile was killed, adding: “The exact cause of the fire is not known at this time. Investigations into this matter continue.” Volunteer firefighter Gary Smith, who responded, said the loss was
especially painful for him as a father. “It was a somber moment for me because I’m a fatherof-three,” he said. “I was out there from 3am, and only got home after 9am. It wasn’t easy, because at the end of it all, we lost a life.” Mr Smith said by the time he reached Crown Haven, residents were already battling the fire with buckets. HOUSE - SEE PAGE FOUR
MURDER COUNT RISES A MURDERED man was found lying face down near a burning vehicle on Munnings Road off Gladstone Road last night. Police told reporters at the scene that investigators are still “putting the pieces together” to determine what transpired. Officers said they were on routine patrol around 8.15pm when they discovered the victim, described as a man in his early 40s, near another vehicle while the nearby car was engulfed in flames. The killing came hours after three separate shootings in New Providence left four men in hospital and renewed concerns about public safety. See page 3 for more.
CHILDREN FOUND RUMMAGING THROUGH DUMPSTER NOW IN PROTECTIVE CARE By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net TWO young children who were allegedly starved by their father and found scavenging from a dumpster have been placed in protective custody and enrolled in school, according to Social Services Minister Myles LaRoda. Mr LaRoda said the children, aged nine and
six, are in good health and adjusting to their new environments but declined to share further details to protect their privacy. The 39-year-old father was arraigned in July on two counts of child cruelty after authorities allegedly found the children wandering the streets and eating from garbage bins. The alleged neglect occurred on October 17, 2024.
Police said the children were found in a vulnerable state, prompting an investigation and the man’s arrest. He pleaded not guilty before Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans. Prosecutor Inspector Shadrach Coakley objected to bail, citing the defendant’s lack of legal status. CHILDREN - SEE PAGE FOUR
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