Fire Department – Blaze At Youth Hostel Deliberately Set

On Tuesday night, we told you about the fire at the Youth Hostel at mile twenty one on the George Price Highway. The fire, which is suspected to be arson, destroyed the girls’ dorm and all its contents. The Fire Department was called in and the fire was put out after five in the evening. Some of the girls who resided in the dorm were questioned by police and today the fire department told us where the fire started and they have since classified it as intentional.

Benisford Matura, Operations Officer, National Fire Service

“At approximately, about five past three in the afternoon we received a call from police about a structural fire at the Youth Hostel at mile twenty one on the George Price Highway. We immediately dispatched our Ladyville fire truck to the area, being that that was the closest one. Upon arrival, a fifty by thirty structure to the back of the compound was engulfed in flames and showing gray thick smoke coming from the roof area. We got into operation and extinguished the fire. The fire was mostly based up in the roof and it was an open structure so it spread all over the entire roof.”

Reporter

“Can you tell us what your investigation has revealed so far as to the cause and how the fire spread and behaved?”

Benisford Matura

Benisford Matura

“Investigation revealed that this structure had four dorms in them; four separate dorms within the same structure. Apparently, from our investigation, the fire originated in dorm two which is north east of the structure. Further investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire, we detected that the fire was started on a mattress in one of the b8unk beds in the dorms. It was in an area where there should be no fire so we would class it as an incendiary fire and basically it was intentionally set by someone.”

Reporter

“Sir, to speak plainly, this is arson?”

Benisford Matura

“Ummm it is an incendiary fire. Arson is what the police would now investigate and see if it was arson. An incendiary fire like we told you before is a fire that is placed where it should not be like on a mattress in a dorm, is a place where a fire should not be. But it was there, it was set there by someone.”