Yesterday, authorities revealed that the deadly five-alarm fire which broke out in an East Flatbush apartment last weekend was caused by a voodoo sex ritual gone wrong. More strange details have emerged about that ritual, which led to one death and several injuries, involving voodoo priests, rum, and ironing.
Officials say that an unidentified woman hired voodoo priest (or as the Post calls him, "horny holy man") Nelso (Pepe) Pierre for $300 to perform a mystic ceremony that would bring her good fortune. A law-enforcement source said that Pierre then used the oldest trick in the witch doctor book: "He poured rum on the floor near the door to prevent evil spirits from getting inside. [He told her] in order for it to work, they had to have sex." According to reports, there was a man (identified by the News as Pierre's roommate) ironing pants in an adjacent room for some reason.
But as the sex went on, the candles ignited the bed sheets and discarded clothing; the woman told fire marshals afterwards that," while she was having sex, she was getting aroused, she was getting into it and she didn't realize that their activity had knocked over some of the candles around the bed." The police source quipped, "The sex must have been so good they didn't see it coming. Maybe they should have practiced safe sex." Instead of calling 911, the man ironing in the other room (or Pierre, there are conflicting reports) opened a window and the apartment door, creating the blowtorch effect which then lit up the entire building.
Police are not pressing charges against Pierre or the woman, calling it an accident. Neighbors described Pierre to the News as a likable military veteran: "People have told me he's a 'hougan', a voodoo priest. They always told me that. He'd do invocations for people, ceremonies for people if you had a problem. It's very common in Haitian culture. If you have a problem or think someone's doing you problems you go see him."
Retired 62-year-old guidance counselor Mary Feagin was killed in the blaze, 100 people were left homeless; it took 200 firefighters from 44 companies to put out the five-alarm blaze, and twenty firefighters were injured. The firefighters' union has suggested that staffing cuts from the city, as well as a dispatching error due to a police officer shooting himself in the foot, contributed to the delay in response.
