BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ALTHOUGH totally destroying the vegetation across several acres of land, a bush fire which occurred on the south-eastern side of the island on Monday (July 9) afternoon was successfully extinguished by the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Services before it could cause any damage to property or injury to life or limb.
Sometime after 3:00 p.m. Monday, this publication observed smoke billowing into the air from what appeared to be the Needsmust area and initial investigations revealed that it was a not-too-serious bush fire.
However, as the afternoon transitioned into the evening and SKNVibes made further investigations, it was discovered that the fire had spread from Needsmust Estate – adjacent to the Kim Collins Highway - and had worked its way through the greenery that sits on the northern side of the Frigate Bay access road.
A further check made by this media house at about 9:00 in the evening revealed that the fire had spread even more and was beginning to make its way up the hillside approaching Half Moon Heights. It had also spread to the point where it was less than two feet from the main road.
A member of the Fire and Rescue Services Department indicated that the fire occurred in an area that was inaccessible by the fire tender and, as such, another strategy had to be employed.
The firefighters allowed the fire to creep up the mountain side and, having gained access from the Half Moon Heights end, they were able to extinguish it. The blaze was reportedly extinguished at about 10:45 p.m.
The genesis of the fire remains unknown, however, according to the Fire and Rescue Services Department member, during its eight-hour duration, the fire burnt through some 15-20 acres of greenery.
