The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Electricity Corporation officials yesterday said one employee suffered a minor “not burn-related” injury during attempts to put out a fire at the corporation’s Clifton Pier plant on Sunday.

Officials said the individual was treated and released from hospital the same day.

Their statements came after a fire broke out at one of BEC’s smaller engines at the power plant shortly after 11am on Sunday.

A video of the fire was subsequently posted to social media. In it, a man is seen using a water hose in an attempt to extinguish the blaze, which appeared to be at least one storey above ground level.

In a statement yesterday, officials said the fire was caused by a turbo charger failure on a 10 megawatt diesel engine at the plant. Officials said their initial investigations indicated that the turbo charger’s lubricating oil and “inherent high temperatures” caused the blaze.

Officials said the fire was “immediately contained” by trained employees with “fire suppression equipment available on site.” They also said the Fire Department was called to provide assistance.

The statement said once the fire started, the affected engine and its fuel source were “immediately shut down” to prevent further damage. Thanks to “standard operating procedures,” officials said the fire was extinguished “within 30 minutes of the initial ignition” with “no damage to any of BEC’s other equipment at the power station.”

“Additionally,” the statement read, “BEC advises there were no outages as a result of the loss of that 10 MW unit. Further, the corporation notes that an employee suffered a minor, not burn-related, injury during the fire-fighting effort. He was treated and released from hospital on the same day. The corporation expresses its gratitude to all employees who assisted during the incident.”

In reference to the video, the statement said: “The corporation notes that it is regrettable that the footage was circulated causing public alarm, however, at no time was there any significant danger to life or any other equipment at the corporation’s Clifton Pier Power Station.”