UPDATE: VG fire may have been caused by children
This was the report also of Chief Fire Officer Mr Zebalon A. McLean even as he noted investigations are continuing. While regretting the incident and being very grateful to those who joined forces with his officers to bring the situation under control, Mr McLean said, "It is suspected that some children were in the area and may have caused the fire."
"As many other organisations do, I urge parents to keep track of their children as best as they can because this time something happened and they ran away, another time something could happen and they may be have been trapped or fallen. And let's get real as possible, they can be injured or killed.”
The fire chief was very candid in saying that such a dump site should not be in that location. "This dump site should not be in the middle of a residential area. It puts everyone at risk," he said while adding that even outside of a fire there are contaminants blowing from the dump site into people's homes.
He, however, was very thankful to his officers who he said did a very good job as well as their colleagues at the BVI Airports Authority. "And of course our civilian population who assisted all the officers as best they could. It's always good to see community effort of this magnitude. And I thank God that it was a dump site and not someone's house."
McLean alluded to the challenge of inadequate water and the accessibility of hydrants. Nonetheless, he expressed gratitude to the Water and Sewerage Department for their part played in the fight to quell the fire yesterday.
More than 60% burnt out
Manager of the Department of Waste Management Mr Greg R. Massicote was present on Virgin Gorda after learning of the fire. According to him, it is estimated that more than 60% of the derelict vehicles on site were burnt yesterday.
Noting his regrets as it relates to the incident and the effect the heavy smoke and heat created as such, Massicote said that he has never received any complaints or expressions of concern about the location of the dump site. "None of those complaints ever reached me since I took over the department. I more or less came and met the site there."
Suffice to say, Massicote said his department already has a timeline of April 19, 2015 to commence the shipping of derelict vehicles from the sister island to the Sea Cows Bay dump site for the processing into scrap metal to be shipped overseas.
"I would say this much, the department was making preparations to have as much metal moved out as possible by mid next month. We are in the process of creating some space at the current site down at Sea Cows Bay. That's where they are being processed and shipped overseas," said Massicote.
He said the problem was that the Sea Cows Bay site was filled for some time, which made it challenging for them to move the materials on a more consistent basis.
Massicote said he is awaiting word from the police and the Fire and Rescue Services Department as it relates to the cause of the fire.
The Manager of the Department of Waste Management also commended the fire department, residents and businesses who stepped up to the task of quenching the inferno as timely as they could have.
In alluding to the togetherness displayed by all and sundry in putting the fire out yesterday, Mr Massicote said, "That’s the kind of mentality we need in the BVI."
See previous story published on March 30, 2015:
Major fire @ derelict vehicle dump-site in VG
- Firefighters & public-spirited citizens battling blaze
VALLEY, Virgin Gorda, VI- (Post Time: 3:50pm) Firefighters and public-spirited citizens have joined forces to battle a major fire that has broken out at the derelict vehicle dump-site in the vicinity of Prince Bar in Valley, Virgin Gorda today, March 30, 2015.
According to reports, the fire started shortly after 2:30pm.
Residents told our reporter now on the scene that they heard a loud explosion after which they saw a “big ball of fire”.
“The fire is out of control at the moment as a large number of vehicles have been engulfed,” our reporter stated.
Firefighters were already facing water shortage with their small fire tender, however, their fight has been boosted with the addition of a water truck from Ebony and Ivory Construction, which is owned by Mr Dwite Flax.
One resident remarked “something always have to happen before they do something about this,” in noting that himself, along with other residents, have been talking to the relevant authorities about the dump-site being so close to dwellings and business places.
“This might just be the answer to the problem,” another resident stated.
Meanwhile, airport firefighters have just arrived on the scene as well as private water trucks.
Virgin Islands News Online will continue to update you on this incident as more details come in.
26 Responses to “UPDATE: VG fire may have been caused by children”
all the time which is caused by high temperature.What should be done is all vehicles should be
drained of combustible fluids.
I guess they are NDP's kids. $%%^& idiots always chatting $h1t before knowing the facts.
Only now they know that the dump site shouldn't be in that area? BVI people should be ashamed that Government not only have to pick up their trash from in the bins and along the road or take care of their sewage, they also responsible for moving their vehicles. These set of nasty @$$ ungrateful people in this place. SO sickening.