BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DENSE clouds of smoke moved through Basseterre, Conaree and surrounding villages yesterday afternoon (Feb. 27) owing to a large bush fire that took place on a piece of land at Needsmust, near the Kim Collins Highway.
It is believed that the fire began sometime before 3:00 p.m. and the Chief of the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services Everette O’Garro told SKNVibes that a unit from the Basseterre Station responded to a report of a fire at about 3:02 p.m.
He explained that when the unit arrived on the scene, it experienced difficulty accessing the fire because of the bushy terrain. It however remained on standby and monitored the blaze, ensuring that it did not progress into the nearby residential areas.
Several individuals were seen in Basseterre and surrounding areas holding pieces of cloth to their noses and mouths because of the thick smoke, and vehicles were covered in ashes. The air was heavy with smoke and SKNVibes understands the effect was experienced by individuals in St. Peters, Boyd’s and other areas.
While it was not possible to extinguish the flames which had ploughed through acres of vegetation, Fire Chief O’Garro said backlighting techniques were employed to assist in controlling the spread of the fire.
The intermittent showers which were experienced also assisted in quenching the fire.
Sometime close to 8:00 p.m., SKNVibes visited the area and observed that the fire was still burning in certain spots which was fuelled by the gusts of wind.
O’Garro said the origin of the fire is not known.
