The Tribune

By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

Sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FIREFIGHTERS extinguished a blaze on Potter's Cay Day yesterday afternoon after an abandoned building caught fire sending plumes of black smoke up and over the Paradise Island Bridge.

The fire started shortly after 12 noon.

Assistant Police Commissioner Walter Evans said officers received information that a building was on fire at Potters Cay Dock. When officers arrived on the scene, they saw a structure fully engulfed in flames.

"The information we received was an abandoned structure and it is believed that vagrants occupied the facility prior to the arrival of the fire department," ACP Evans said.

"It is reported that the lady was trapped on a boat, which was very, very nearby at the southern end where the fire was. Luckily, she was assisted by a citizen and there was no reported injury to her or anyone else. However, we are conducting a secondary search to ensure there is nothing contrary to our reports. We do not have the information on who the owners are at this point and, like I said, the building was occupied by vagrants.”

ACP Evans said police are unsure of the cause of the blaze at this time.

This is the second time a fire broke out at this end of the dock. Last month, a man was killed after a container caught fire on the dock. The victim is believed to have been transferring fuel by pump between trucks.

Investigations into both matters continue.