The Tribune

A fire at the National Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters yesterday caused extensive damage to the new $1.7 million facility.

The fire struck at around 12.30am on Friday.

According to reports, police received an anonymous call reporting that smoke was emanating from the roof of NEMA’s headquarters on Gladstone Road

When firefighters arrived on the scene they met the northwest section of the building engulfed in flames. Fortunately, the fire was quickly brought under control before it was able to spread to other parts of the building. However, the roof and a work station were completely destroyed.

Captain Stephen Russell, director of NEMA, told The Big T that it is too early to tell how much it will cost to repair the damage, but said the agency’s work will continue as normal.

“We had a section with about ten work stations destroyed, so we lost cabinet computers and the ceiling above that area was destroyed, and the air conduction duct was also extensively damaged,” he said.

“Luckily, the staff usually back up all their work on portable jump drives, so at this point we do not think that any information was lost. The damage is now being assessed, the police as well as the Ministry of Works are investigating and we will just relocate the affected workers to a different section of the building once the problem is cleaned up.”

He said although the incident is “depressing and disappointing”, the machinery of the government will kick in for the continued flow of operations for NEMA. He added that suitable accommodations will be provided for the agency to operate out of.

A team comprising the Royal Bahamas Police Force Fire Services, the Ministry of Public Works and Urban Development carried out a rapid assessment inspection of the damage. This team, along with other relevant personnel, will conduct a more thorough inspection to ascertain the scope of repairs needed and to determine when the building will be safe for the return of the 17 staff members.

Marines of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and supervised inmates of Her Majesty’s Prisons cleared out debris and removed the salvageable equipment from the building.

NEMA moved into its building three months ago on August 23, just around the anniversary of the Category 5 Hurricane Andrew, which struck the Bahamas and caused millions in damage and four related deaths in 1992.

The building, constructed at an estimated $1.7 million, is fully equipped to accommodate the National Disaster Committee members in the National Emergency Operations Centre during any disaster that might occur.