BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – OPPOSITION Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Three, Hon. Konris Maynard has reported that the fire at his West Basseterre office had caused significant damage.
The fire, which occurred on November 27, started at around 2:00 a.m. on the eastern end of the building, but quick response by members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Service averted the entire building from going up in flames.
Maynard, addressing reporters at the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party press conference yesterday (Dec. 5) in Koi’s conference room, explained that he was overseas at the time of the incident, and since his return to the island and having had a firsthand look at the damage, declared the extent of losses.
“There was extensive damage to the conference hall of the office. In particular, the northern part of the eastern wall was burnt right through. The roof in that area was seriously damaged; all of the interior walls of the hall have been damaged to varying degrees.
“The AC units have been completely damaged, Labour Party paraphernalia has been destroyed, electrical fixtures have been destroyed, the hall is presently unusable in its current state.”
He reported that the office section of the constituency office suffered minor or “cosmetic damage”.
Further, the outspoken MP noted that the police have indicated that they are now waiting on the report from the Fire Department to proceed with their investigations.
Additionally, he revealed that the law enforcement officers have advised that there are a number of persons from who they are seeking to take statements concerning that incident.
“These persons have been notified,” he stated.
The Constituency Three Parliamentary Representative confirmed that part of the police’s investigations would include a review of the Closed-Circuit Television camera (CCTV) and the environs.
To that end, he did not go into details on what sleuths have picked up on the cameras.
“I will wait on their conclusions on what was or was not captured,” he said.
He, however, noted that there is a strange coincidence of fires starting around 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. “at the offices of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party representatives”.
The young Parliamentarian pointed to the fire at the office of Marcella Liburd in Constituency Two at around a similar timeframe during the 2015 elections period.
