UPDATE: Road Town pump station fire under investigation
Virgin Islands News Online first reported on the incident which Chief Fire Officer Mr Zebalon A. McLean explained started when a small amount of fuel came into contact with machinery at the pump station.
"It was quite a bit of fuel but the fire was quickly extinguished by one of the workers there who had an extinguisher," Mr McLean had told this news site.
A staff on the scene confirmed that it was a compressor attached to a main pump that caught on fire after it encountered gasoline.
According to GIS, the Ministry of Communications and Works and the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force are investigating the fire which damaged several wires, vaccum pumps and other components at the main pump station.
It said the Virgin Island Fire and Rescue Services responded to an emergency call from the Water and Sewerage Department on October 2 to address a fire at the pump station in Road Town. The Ministry of Communications and Works’ Special Projects Team was also called on the scene.
Upon the team’s arrival at the scene, the fire was already extinguished but some damage was done. The Fire and Rescue Services assessed the situation and confirmed that the fire was caused by gasoline in the pumps lines and chambers.
Several departments including the Royal Virgin Island Police Force and the Department of Disaster Management were mobilised to aid in closing a portion of the Waterfront Drive from Road Town Roundabout to the Cutlass Building to enable the team to clear the sewerage lines of gasoline.
Director for the Water and Sewerage Department, Mrs Perline Scatliffe-Leonard, said “By 3:30 p.m. the sewerage lines were cleared of 99% of the gasoline, operation was restored and the road was opened to receive normal traffic. At the moment the pump station is back online but because of fire damage, vacuum pumps will need extensive repair or possibly replaced.”
“The nearby SOL Gas Station was also investigated for leakage and cleared of any leaks. The Police Force is gathering footage from surrounding businesses to search for any evidence that someone may have illegally dumped the fuel in the pump station,” the GIS press release stated.
The public is being reminded that all toxic fuels should be disposed at the incinerator in Pockwood Pond where it can be properly handled and not at the sewerage station which controls the Territory’s sewage.
“The Ministry of Communications and Works moves forward with improving the National Sewerage System and implementing stricter procedures to monitor the activity of the pump station to ensure that incidents such as this do not reoccur,” the press release further stated.
See previous story published October 2, 2015
Fire disaster averted next to gas station in RT
- waste material had gasoline in it which was ignited by the machinery- Fire Chief
Quick action by workmen averted what could have been a fire disaster at a sewage pump station right next door to a gas station near the roundabout in Road Town today October 2, 2015.
This was confirmed by Chief Fire Officer Zebalon A. McLean who was still awaiting a comprehensive report from his deputy who was on the scene when Virgin Islands News Online made contact.
"There is a situation at the sewage treatment section of the plant. It seems that when persons were getting rid of some waste, the waste contained some fuel," McLean said.
The Fire Chief explained that when the machinery started going through the usual motions of getting rid of waste and it encountered fuel a small amount of it ignited.
"It was quite a bit of fuel. But the fire was quickly extinguished by one of the workers there who had an extinguisher," said McLean.
A staff on the scene confirmed that it was a compressor attached to a main pump that caught on fire after it encountered gasoline.
As a result of the incident, police cordoned off the surrounding areas and traffic was being diverted from the focus area of the fire.
There were no reports of injuries as a result of the incident.
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