PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Portsmouth father is rebuilding his life after losing nearly everything in a duplex fire Friday morning, allegedly set by his partner, the mother of his 3-month-old son.
Emergency crews responded to the Beacon Road home just before 6:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Portsmouth Fire Department. When Jaaziel Fuentes received a call at work about the fire, his first concern was his family’s safety.
“I was thinking about if everybody was OK, you know, if everybody got out of the duplex safely,” Fuentes said.
Investigators say Javette Lee, 31, also of Portsmouth, was arrested and charged with four counts of arson. She is being held without bond at the Portsmouth City Jail. Fuentes said Lee is the mother of his infant son.
“She’s never done anything violent or anything, so yeah, this was just out of left field. Nobody saw it coming,” Fuentes said.
Now, with a baby to care for and his home destroyed, Fuentes is focused on rebuilding his life. His employer and members of the community have stepped in to help.
“My employer has been generous, and they’ve been giving me supplies and everything for the baby and me and stuff like that,” Fuentes said.
He said he has also received assistance from the Red Cross and started a GoFundMe to support recovery efforts.
Despite the emotional toll of the fire and his partner’s arrest, Fuentes said he is determined to remain a constant presence in his son’s life.
“Now that you know his mom is going through this, you know he needs me more than ever,” he said.
As the holiday season approaches, Fuentes said the support he’s received has given him hope.
“I’m just relieved that we can continue to live our lives,” he said. “I’m still kind of processing everything, but it is what it is, and material can always be replaced.”
Anyone wishing to assist Fuentes and his son can visit the GoFundMe page.
