‘IT WAS AWFUL’
Jacks Hill residents recount latest blaze
‘An action packed day filled with excitement’ is how a resident of Ivor Drive in Jacks Hill, St Andrew, described massive bushfires within the space earlier this week.
The resident, who identified herself only as GG, said she even joined the firefighters in tackling the blaze.
“I also chopped down some of the trees that were close and that could be a hazard. I put on my working gear and got out there and it was just really cool. I watched the fireman beat the fire and then in the night I could use the same technique and help my neighbours as well,” she told THE WEEKEND STAR.
Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) Stewart Beckford said they received a call minutes after 2 p.m. on Tuesday about the blaze. Response units from different sections of the Corporate Area, along with several members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) extinguished it. But the following day, another fire raged at a different area in the community and another team along with the JDF responded.
For years, Jacks Hill has been plagued by bushfires to the point where GG is no longer surprised. She also gave high praise to members of the JFB and JDF for their response.
“I know that the firefighters are going to do their job and they come with helicopters, so the outing procedure is quite organised. The water ran out a couple of times but they
did their best. We just ensure that we have our masks on but whenever the fire start, I just start packing the important stuff and then we just see how it goes, she said.
GG noted that they cut the grass and the trees around the house, which should reduce the risk of the house being affected.
“This fire was worse than what I experienced last year because there was a lot of wind, so it spread really quickly. It was really down in the valley where it was really hard to reach. There was a lot of old trees laying around so there was a lot for the fire to burn,” GG added.
Errol Mitchell, a senior citizen, said that he too has grown accustomed to having fire raging close to his house.
“It’s not something that I can really prepare for because we really don’t know when the fire a come, it just come when it ready. When it start on the other side, helicopter and fire trucks come. But it never out, and yesterday (Wednesday) it start back and mi have to get pan and start out until the truck come. We have drums because sometimes water gone for days. It was awful but the fire people dem do what dem have to do,” Mitchell said. He said that the next time he will be prepared.
“We are going to make a fire trench, something like a barrier, so that way everything fall on one side. Suh if the fire come again, it won’t able to reach us because the place clean. Suh we going to rid the place of grass and certain trees,” he said.
Beckford said that this year’s bushfire, though less destructive, is still a cause for concern.
“Some of it is due to a result of farmers clearing lands and there are also incidents relating to careless use of fires such as persons lighting garbage and the sparks fly from that and land in an area that is bone dry, and next thing you know a fire will start. We also have instances where persons are travelling in vehicles and discard whatever it is that they are smoking whether it is cigarette or weed, “he said.
Beckford said the JFB has been offering sensitisation programmes to educate and inform residents and farmers in an effort to decrease bushfires.
“When it gets to January and February, we start to sensitise the residents as we can’t avoid having bushfires but we want to see a reduction in numbers. We want people to take responsibility on how they burn,” Beckford said.