Thunderbirds’ home destroyed in suspected arson attack

Adelaide Thunderbirds defender Latanya Wilson has lost everything, including her Commonwealth Games silver medal, after a suspected arson attack.

Latanya Wilson of the Adelaide Thunderbirds has lost everything, including her Commonwealth Games silver medal and her Super Netball premiership medal, after a suspected arson attack saw her Jamaican home razed to the ground. Photo: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

Adelaide Thunderbirds defender Latanya Wilson has lost everything, including her Commonwealth Games silver medal and her Super Netball premiership medal, after a suspected arson attack saw her Jamaican home razed to the ground.

Wilson’s house was among may in the city of Kingston destroyed by fire, which has left around 50 people homeless.

The champion netballer said that while she was shaken by the incident, which happened in the early hours of the morning, she was just happy that she and her sister escaped unhurt.

“I think the key lesson in this is just to be grateful for life because one minute you can be on top of everything and then the next minute you can just lose everything in a quick second,” Wilson told a Jamaican television station.

Tragedy has struck @AdelaideTBirds star import Latanya Wilson. 7NEWS Adelaide at 6pm | https://t.co/8ftPfGh39Y#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/oRi7GUSxwj

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) August 26, 2023

“I think for me I’m just grateful to have life and whatever I’ve lost in the fire is actually repairable – Jamaica can actually assist me in getting (the medals) back.”

Wilson said she was sleeping when she heard neighbours shouting, ”fire!”.

“But you know when you’re sleeping you are … not so much aware of what’s happening around you,” she said.

“My sister started shouting that the fire was coming, and that’s when I knew the fire was near. By the time I got up … the fire was at the back of the house. I just put something on and while I was heading out I remember my sister saying to me, ‘don’t forget my laptop’. That was the only thing I could actually grab, along with my bag.”

Netball Jamaica and Thunderbirds teammate Eleanor Cardwell have both set up fundraising pages to assist Wilson.