The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

A LARGE plot of farmland off Cowpen Road caught fire yesterday, sending plumes of smoke into the air and affecting residents in nearby areas, leading Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett to warn that setting fires is punishable by law.

However, Mr Dorsett, who was at the scene of the blaze yesterday morning, said given the purpose of the site it was likely the fire grew out of control during “slash and burn” activities.

He said the matter has been turned over to police, who have been instructed to prosecute to the full extent of the law if a suspect is arrested.

Fire Chief Superintendent Walter Evans said two fire trucks were dispatched to contain the fire, but few details were available.

“It’s farmland and I have asked the police to conduct investigations to determine whether any person may have been burning,” Mr Dorsett told The Tribune. “You know how they slash and burn and then I think it got out of control.

“So I would leave it to police to investigate. But from what I can see and knowing that it is farmland and hearing the anecdotal information from people who were there, apparently they tend to set these little small fires from time-to-time.

“But in the dry season this is not the type of thing to do. These fires can get out of control in a short period of time and cause the chaos that we now see.”

While none of the six homes in the immediate area were damaged, he said those in the area would have been subject to a lot of smoke that reached housing subdivisions on the north side of Cowpen Road.

“Sadly there is no evidence to determine who it was who set this blaze; at least the police haven’t been able to find that out. But setting these fires is a criminal offence and if we find the culprit in this instance I am going to ask the police to prosecute them to the highest extent of the law,” Mr Dorsett said.