COLE BAY:--- A spark from welding that was taking place on the roof of Jobco Plaza in Cole Bay caused a huge fire early Tuesday morning. According to information reaching SMN News, some workmen were busy welding on the top of the roof when sparks from the welding entered a wooden structure that had paper products that quickly caught fire sending clouds of black smoke in the area. Fire Chief Clive Richardson who was on the scene confirmed that the fire started from a spark. Richardson said sparks from the welding entered the top floor of a storage building that is made of wood that had paper items stored inside. Richardson said because of the type of materials that were stored there and the fact that the upper floor of the storage building is made of wood a huge blaze resulted. Richardson further explained that on the lower floor of the building a lot of beverage and food items were kept there. He said because of that the smoke emanating from the fire was thick and black while some explosions were taking place. He said that around 2pm Tuesday afternoon the fire was still blazing but under control. Richardson said that the storage building is not safe and the fireman had to also safeguard themselves. He explained that the walls of the storage building are cracked and deformed and that the building has to be demolished. The Fire Chief further explained that due to the location where the fire was taking place it is extremely difficult for the firemen to pump water there. He said efforts were being made with the use of an excavator to clear out an entrance in order for the trucks to reach closer. In the meantime, the firemen were busy focusing on saving the Kwik Ideas Building. Richardson said he said that business suffered a lot of smoke damage but the building itself was not on fire.
Major fire breaks out in Cole Bay warehouse complex.
COLE BAY:--- On Tuesday morning January 23rd at approximately 10.25 a.m., the first of several calls came into the Emergency Dispatch of a fire which had broken out in the warehouse complex at Jobco Plaza and Kam’s Distributors. Both businesses are located next to each other. Immediately several police patrols and the Fire Department were directed to the scene to investigate the situation. On the scene the emergency services noticed that a fire had broken out at Jobco Plaza and spread into Kam’s Distributors. The investigating officers learned that the fire started while welding-repairs were being done, by a contractor, on the roof of Jobco Plaza. As a result of this fire, the entire interior of Kam’s Distributors was engulfed in flames. The fire caused a very large black cloud could be seen from far away. Police then closed off streets in the area, diverted traffic and kept the public at a safe distance for the fire department to put the fire out. Within short, the fire department had the fire under control and there were no more chances for the fire to spread. No one was injured during the fire. At approximately 03.00 p.m. the roads in the area were again open to traffic.
KPSM Police Report
http://www.smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/28181-welding-spark-caused-huge-fire-in-cole-bay-firefighters-taking-necessary-precautions.html
