BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A garbage fire which was set in proximity of a number of houses in the Douglas Estate area yesterday (Apr. 12) would be reported to the police, as it was believed to have been maliciously done.
This is according to Fire Chief of the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services Everette O’Garro.
Sometime early yesterday morning, a unit from the Basseterre Fire Department was summoned to the scene where it met black and grey smoke billowing into the air.
The crew was at the scene for more than an hour and while it was successful in extinguishing the flames which were above the earth’s surface, the seat of the fire, which is believed to be many feet below the surface, could not be accessed.
O’Garro described the area as an old abandoned well/reservoir into which garbage is constantly thrown. He told SKNVibes that according to the information his team received, the fire was possibly deliberately set so as to rid the space of some of the garbage and make room to receive more. This, he said, is cause for concern.
“We have a serious concern that the abandoned wells and reservoirs are being used as dumps and people periodically set fire to them to get rid of the rubbish. This is very dangerous because the fire can spread to surrounding or nearby properties and cause serious damage.”
SKNVibes understands that the smoke was so thick that one individual reportedly had to summon the Emergency Medical Services to attend to her child who had an asthmatic attack.
Late into the afternoon, the Fire Department was again summoned to the scene as the fire was rekindled. The unit did not leave until sometime after 7:30 p.m.
O’Garro explained to this media house that because the seat of the fire is some distance below the surface, it is difficult to access it and the possibility exists for it to continue to rekindle.
He advised that the matter would be reported to both the police and the health authorities.
