BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – QUICK response by members of the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services saved an abandoned two-storey building on Victoria Road from being consumed by fire earlier today (Jul. 29).
At about 10:00 this morning, neighbours in the vicinity reported that black smoke was seen coming from the ground floor of the white, abandoned building located near the Maurice Hillier school complex. Upon arrival at the scene, SKNVibes saw light smoke rising from the rear end of the building, with Fire and Rescue officers taking out the flames from both the back and side of the building.
Fire Sub-Station Officer (FSSO) Clarence Hendrickson told SKNVibes that he was not in possession of enough evidence to believe arson was the cause of the fire. He however suggested that it may have accidentally started by someone who may have passed through the building this morning.
“I went upstairs, and from my observation you can tell that people are usually in there. So, it could have been just some vandal dropped a cigarette in the room at the back where they had some old fridge and stove. But the room was filled with smoke when we arrived,” Hendrickson said.
Though Hendrickson was unable to confirm, fire officials at the scene informed that it was not the first time that building had been on fire, but swift action by the fire fighters was able to save it from being destroyed.
“The fire truck really came quick and even though it’s an old house and nobody lives in it...they really made sure that the fire was put out quick. Now, you can’t even tell a fire was there,” one eyewitness told this media house.
Damages were localised in the back of the lower storey of the building and, while there has been no confirmed cause of fire, Hendrickson said the police would be making investigations into the matter.
