Fire destroys homes in St. John’s

An afternoon blaze swept through two wooden structures yesterday on Dickenson Bay Street razing both to the ground and damaging a third building.
When the thick plumes of smoke and hot raging flames subsided, all that remained of the two buildings was rubble.
The St. John’s Fire Department confirmed to OBSERVER media that it is investigating the fire that destroyed the home of at least one person, causing thousands of dollars in losses for the owner of the two destroyed structures.
Head of the Fire Department, Elvis Weaver, said that an initial investigation revealed that there was no electricity attached to any of the structures at the time of the blaze that was first reported at 1:15 p.m.
Three fire trucks and an ambulance rushed to the scene, however, by the time the first responders arrived there was nothing they could do to save the two buildings.
The unoccupied 30x20ft house and the 30x30ft home that was occupied by one person was reduced to smoldering galvanized and burnt wood that firefighters overturned to ensure that no embers remained and there was no one trapped and in need of assistance.
Both destroyed structures were owned by an individual who resides in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Paramedic firefighter, special corporal Lee Sagert, told the media that it was too early to say what may have caused the blaze or where on the compound the fire started.
“We arrived within minutes and we were able to aggressively attack the fire. Our firemen are doing a tremendous job in this hot weather. At this time, we have lost two structures, but we have managed to save two,” Sagert said.
He also noted that high winds and the hot temperatures aided in the spread of the blaze.