An autistic teen, said to be around 16 years old, received “serious” burns in a fire at his home in Sion Hill on Friday night.
The child and his mother occupy one of three houses in a yard at Lower Roseau.
It is not yet clear whether the child was alone in the house when the fire occurred, but screams were heard coming from the yard, apparently from family members living in the other two houses, as thick smoke came from the house
An uncle, who was at the gateway to the yard, and a healthcare professional in the area responded to the screams.
A crew from the St. Vincent Electricity Services (VINLEC) was the first of the emergency response teams to arrive, doing so within minutes, followed soon by a fire tender from the Fire Brigade of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.
By the time the emergency units arrived, however, the fire was put out and the child was rescued from the fire and placed in the yard.
The child, wrapped in a transparent material, which appeared to be plastic, was taken to a vehicle and transported to hospital.
It is understood that the child sustained what are said to be serious burn injuries to his hand and areas of the upper body.