Fiery Destruction

Fire raged across Hangman’s Hill, through Vaucluse and into Christie Village, St Thomas today destroying one house, damaging three others, killing 16 pigs, two rabbits, four Akita dogs.

What started out as a grass fire in Hangman’s Hill, St Thomas quickly spread through the district, leaving a trail of destruction and thousands of dollars in losses in its fiery path, and the burnt out shells of thousands of Giant African Snails.

From as early nine this morning fire fighters from the Probyn Street headquarters were battling the blaze at Hangman’s Hill. But, as the fire spread through Vaucluse and into Christie Village they sent for back-up. This included two additional tenders, bringing the total number to four, one water tanker from C.O. Williams and one from the Barbados Water Authority, and 21 fire fighters under the command of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer Llyodson Phillips.

Cynthia Odle said she was at work at Sandy Lane this morning when she saw two fires in the area. By lunch time, she saw a third fire and recognised that it was her house.

“When I get here the fire was blazing coming in the direction of my house,” she said. She added that the fire burnt all around her home, including the wall structure that was under construction, and her pigs and rabbits.

“I am [estimating] about $12,000 in losses and that is just the building and labour and does not include the animals,” she said, Odle said she experienced something similar last year, but this year is was worse than ever. “It is a miracle my house is still standing,” she said, giving praise and glory to God.

However, Oscar Dottin was not so lucky. The house he inherited and lived in was burnt flat, along with his four Akitas. He too was at work when he got a call from a friend telling him the two bedroom house was on fire.

However, his biggest loss was his tools, valued around $22,000, which he used in construction. “Most of my papers were inside the house, my tools, and I had a couple more jobs with estimates and people’s [house] plans in there that got burn up,” he lamented.

He added that starting over would be rough. Divisional fire officer Wilfred Marshall said there was a wide expanse of dry grass and bush in the area and the wind was high causing the fire to spread, igniting the house.

While on the scene, fire officers also received reports that the fire was burning canes at Duke’s, St Thomas. “This is a bad one,” he said. He explained that there were using three large tenders, each carrying 600 gallons of water, and one small tender carrying 100 gallons, and they were supplemented by private water tankers. “The fire burned all the way around,” he said.

When contacted around seven tonight, fire officers confirmed that the fire had rekindled at Hangman’s Hill, St Thomas. The Barbados TODAY also received reports of the St James Secondary School and a nearby nursery school closing as a result of smoke in the area. However, fire officers said they did not have any reports of fire in the area.

Meanwhile the district emergency officer for St Thomas, Clive Augustin urged residents to join the organisation, which can come to their assistance in circumstances such as those.

Source: www.barbadostoday.bb