Resigne Tilien Dorely, 46, sat silently on a pile of rubble yesterday and watched as the remnants of his home, and several others in a     Haitian shantytown off Fire Trail Road, burned to ash.

Dorely only had his wallet and a black drawstring bag left. He said everything else he owned, his documents, some money, clothes and other items, were lost to the fire.

"I ain't got money now and I don't know what I can do," said Dorely when asked if he had a place to sleep last night.

The small shantytown off Bellot Road was made up of about 15 homes with roughly 50 residents, according to officials.

The fire, which was reported around 10 a.m., ripped through the area, leaving a smouldering pile of ash, old rusted tin roofs and other debris, including clothes, appliances and gas tanks.

The area was abuzz with firefighters, curious neighbors and despondent residents.

Some children ran through the streets but others stood still and watched the dying fire burn. A thick cloud of smoke permeated the area, at times billowing into the crowd.

Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the flames, though some residents claimed firefighters were slow to act.

It was unclear how the fire started.

Rosny Fertil, like other residents who spoke with The Nassau Guardian, said he lost everything.

"I just fix my house with 40 sheet of plywood and now no house," said Fertil, who said he's lived in the community for 36 years.

He added, "Now what I got? Where I stand? I live just like dog. Dogs sleep everywhere, so that's what I have to do."

Fertil said he was at work when his wife called him.

"[She] said fire catching in the yard," he said.

"I said, 'What you want me do?'

"She say, 'Run fast and see what you could do.'"

Ando Francois, 51, another resident, said he will turn to God for help.

"Only God can help me," he said with a smile.

Francois, who said he's a mason by trade, said he lived in the community for 15 years.

He was not home when the fire started, he said, but raced back when he heard the news.

When he arrived, the first thing he noticed was his burning truck.

"I lost everything," he said, still smiling.

"I didn't find anything when I went to look."

Asked where he planned to sleep last night, Francois said he was hoping to sleep at a friend's house.

Another resident, Rose Gustave, did not want to speak with The Guardian.

Sitting underneath a tree, some ways away from the commotion, she was surrounded by clothes hampers with the little she managed to save. It was mostly clothes and a few other items.

Gustave, who was barefoot, held her head and stared at the ground.

Her daughter, Nikia Gustave, said, "All her documents are gone. Do you know how much money that is?

"Not just hers, my little brother, my older brother, and my daddy, all their residence is gone."

Gustave, who did not live in the shantytown, said she will provide refuge for her family.

She said she was at work when she got a call that the community was ablaze.

For those who are not as lucky to have alternative housing, Skippings said officials from the Department of Social Services will help.

When asked about those residents who lost their residency documents, Skippings said, "At this time, we are not focusing on documents right now. We are focusing on saving their lives.

"They are also human beings despite what is going on in Haiti at this time. As a country, we have an obligation to ensure that their basic welfare needs are met."

A police officer was at the scene taking police reports from residents for their lost documents - passports, work permits, permanent residence, driver's licenses and more.

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