UPDATE: Water pressure slowed fire response – FC Zebalon McLean
Mr McLean said the first call alerting officers of the fire at Kiddies Drop In Restaurant & Bar was received sometime after 5:00 AM with numerous follow up calls coming in afterwards.
Residents, he said, were concerned that more trucks needed to be sent to the area but he indicated that there was a significant challenge with water pressure in the area.
“There was very low water pressure because there was some leaks further down along the main,” McLean related. This forced the responders to make several trips manually back and forth between the source and the building.
He explained that there was no limit in the carrying capacity of the fire tenders and related that even though the trucks appeared small, they carry two hundred gallons of water.
Usually, if there is a raging fire, he explained, the water will be steamed off and because the officers could not get a direct feed from the hydrant, the water eventually went out. “The temperatures get up to over 800-900 degrees so you need to not only cool it first but then you need to extinguish it.”
A huge LPG cylinder was reportedly near the building on fire and McLean said officers did a very good job in preventing the conflagration from blowing out of control by keeping the cylinder cool and preventing any possible loss of life or injury.
A nearby building was slightly damaged but the fire did not catch the curtains on the inside on the building and none of the occupants were reportedly injured.
Mr McLean expressed regret that the owners suffered this type of loss and said he sympathised with them.
Proprietor Mrs Lorna A. Smith said she is afflicted by various medical ailments and is trying to smile through the difficult situation. The bar was a main source of income for Smith’s family and also employed three other persons.
Residents spoke animatedly about the loss and said the proprietor should be compensated by government because of the Fire Department’s reported inadequate response.
Meanwhile, Mrs Smith’s son, Elvis A. Isles, commented that nothing was saved of the items at the bar. He said he arrived when the fire was already out of control.
The bar had been in existence for some time and was named for Smith’s husband who passed away some two years ago.
The Fire Chief said although the Department may receive criticism, he was confident that their responses could improve going forward, “we’re not content to just leave it like that.”
See previous story published February 27, 2014:
Fire flattens Huntums Ghut Restaurant & Bar
HUNTUMS GHUT, Tortola, VI – (Post time 1:30PM) - An early morning fire of unknown origin rattled the stillness of the Huntums Ghut community today, February 27, 2014 and completely razed one of its more popular hangouts, Kiddie’s Drop In Restaurant and Bar.
Proprietor, Lorna A. Smith said she was asleep when the blaze began but was told by residents that it started sometime around 4:30 AM.
Smith said fire tenders had not arrived almost half hour after the fire had started but could not say when the incident was first reported.
Mrs Smith counted the damage as a big loss but could not offer an estimate of the total cost of the damage. “It’s a big loss and I don’t have no insurance to cover it,” she related.
Fire Chief Zebalon McLean commended residents and the officers who responded for doing a good job.
More details to come...
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25 Responses to “UPDATE: Water pressure slowed fire response – FC Zebalon McLean”
She said she doesn't have insurance. The one over the island had insurance and big money to restart. Let's bet once they have the money they get their building back up. Nobody falling for your fearmongering bulls..t boss..try again.
This idiot always on here chatting p..!!! All Government did was speed up the permits to rebuild. Insurance provided the finances to rebuild the structure. Unlike people like her, the owner had the good sense not to depend on Government hand outs and paid for insurance in the event of such a catastrophe.
I hope her mind is made up to spend a few nights in the new hospital when VIP loose again!!