ANTIGUA: Female Police Officer Suffers Serious Burns In House Fire

A police constable is in hospital nursing serious burn injuries to her face, hands and back following a fire at her newly built John Hughes home late Friday night.

The officer, Kellyn Thomas, is said to be on the surgical ward, in stable condition, and according to her mother, Denise Byers, she’s in a lot of pain but is alert and talking.

Around 10 pm Friday, the 32-year-old woman was in her room resting when she was awakened by the strong presence of smoke.

Upon investigating, she realised the smoke was coming from her son’s bedroom, down the hallway.

Byers said Thomas went into the room to search for her nine-year-old son, but she was overwhelmed by the smoke and had difficulty seeing and breathing.

Thomas apparently collapsed in the room as the fire spread and the blaze, which appeared to have started on the child’s mattress, raged on.