Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie is urging greater supervision of children, following reports of a house fire in Clarendon yesterday (March 24) that killed two children.

Dead are 4-year-old Kayla Tomlinson and her 3-year-old sister, Abigayle Tomlinson, both of Second Street, in Hayles Field.

It is alleged that the children’s mother left them at home in the care of another relative, while she went to a nearby construction site to give her spouse a meal.

It is not clear where this relative was at the time of the fire.

Residents who saw the house on fire summoned the police and the fire brigade.

The charred remains of the children were later removed from the rubble.

Police are investigating claims of negligence, while the firefighters are probing the cause of the blaze.

In a statement last evening, Mr. McKenzie expressed sadness at the deaths of the two girls and described the incident as a tragedy.

Mr. McKenzie noted that both parents have since been hospitalized and extended condolences to the grieving family.

He said regrettably, yesterday’s incident has resulted in the first fire-related deaths of this year.

Mr. McKenzie again appealed to citizens to do everything possible to avoid leaving children by themselves.

He said there have been too many occasions, over the years, where children have perished in house fires.

The Minister noted that the fire brigade, through its Fire and Life Safety Programme continues to visit communities island-wide, as part of the public education effort about fire prevention.

He said, however, that this requires individuals to accept the message and adopt the practices that will save lives.