Fewer fires reported in 2023

The number of reported fires across St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), went down by 11 per cent in 2023. Last year there were 77 total reports of fires in SVG, compared to 87 in 2022. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Ronald Benjamin, who is second in command of the fire department however, said he was not satisfied as there was a notable increase in the number of vehicle fires.

CHARRED REMAINS mark the aftermath of a fire in New Montrose

In 2022, 41 bush fires were recorded; 31 house fires; 12 vehicle fires; 2 container fires and 1 building fire- a total of 87.

Last year the fire department of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force recorded 31 bush fires; 20 house fires; 18 vehicle fires; 6 building fires; 1 container fire; and 1 garage fire, a total of 77 reported cases, a decrease of 11 percent.

In both years, most fires occurred in Kingstown and surrounding areas, and ASP Benjamin said there were no reports of electrical fires in both years.

Benjamin, who is second in-charge of the fire department, explained that most vehicle fires are caused by faulty wiring and procrastination of regular vehicle checks.

Expanding, Inspector Mark Ellis the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in-charge of the Kingstown Fire Station shared how alarming the increase is to him.

A SKELETAL STRUCTURE amidst the ashes following a fire at a Paul’s Avenue shop

“For me it’s really a concern, I think most of it is caused by persons not really checking their vehicle properly…we are advising persons to pay attention more to their vehicle engine so we don’t have a recurrence of vehicle fires.”

Benjamin shared that bush fires are one of the hardest to combat as few are located where the fire engine is able to get to.

One possible way to address this issue, “may be we have to get some water packs and educate persons about the dangers of lighting bush fires.”

The officer is asking that persons take all necessary precautions when burning garbage especially in the dry season when leaves and the soil are dry, and there are periods of wind gusts- ingredients for a fire to become uncontrollable and spread.

If one does not own a hose, Benjamin is urging that they keep buckets of water on hand in the event a fire becomes uncontrollable.

He said the main cause of bush fires is the recklessness of persons as opposed to them being ignited by higher than usual temperatures, adding that in some cases, the bush fires escalate into house fires.

“They light the garbage and they go in their house, the fire is left unattended so what we are urging persons to do, whenever they light their garbage, they must be there…do not leave fires unattended.”

The officers noted that it is difficult for families to watch their homes go up in flames especially in today’s economic climate where the price to build or buy and maintain a home is far more costly.

“Most of these house fires are due to carelessness, or persons leaving their children at home without an adult present, we know that children love to experiment,” Benjamin pointed out.

He has advised that persons who use candles should place them in a container that can accommodate the heat thus heading off any potential fires.

Benjamin also responded to criticisms that the fire tenders arrive late when called and are sometimes without water.

“Since I am at the fire department, we never attended to a fire scene without the truck having any water. Each time we come back from a fire scene, we fill the fire tender…we always refill our tanks”.

Benjamin shared that for this year, the department aims to “educate people more about lighting fires and having proper things in place to take care of their houses”.

Ellis added that though there was a decrease in house fires, “still, you don’t want persons to be losing their houses…one house fire is really too much.”

Benjamin and Ellis are encouraging persons to take preventative measures as this not only reduces the total number of recorded fires but curtails the hassle of replacing a vehicle or home destroyed by a bush fire that has spread out of control.