The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

MANY residents were without power yesterday as a massive bush fire, fueled by strong winds on Monday, swept through parts of East Grand Bahama, destroying power poles and threatening properties in several subdivisions.

The fire caused significant damage to utility poles, which snapped, resulting in downed power lines and power outages in the affected areas. Restoration efforts were still ongoing on Tuesday.

Jayna Campbell, communications director at Grand Bahama Power Company, reported that crews have been working tirelessly to restore power in affected areas such as Midshipman, Churchill, and Fortune.

“We had a lot of downed power lines,” said Ms Campbell, who advised the public to remain safe and allow their crews to restore power safely.

Supt Stephen Rolle said Fire Services had brought the fire under control.

The road was reopened to traffic. However, due to the large volume of smoke, motorists were advised to drive cautiously, turn on headlights, and reduce speed in the area. 

On Monday, Kwasi Thompson, the MP for East Grand Bahama, was on the ground with his team checking on constituents and helping them by fighting back flames with a garden hose.   

He said the fire spread rapidly due to the strong winds.

“It was an unbelievable day,” he said. “We had bushfires that were made worse by high winds. It caught a number of residents off guard.”

Police shut down a portion of East Sunrise Highway due to poor visibility because of the heavy smoke. 

Mr Thompson and his team, including Melvin Cooper, went through several subdivisions helping residents protect their homes.

“We went to Arcadia, where houses were being threatened. We moved to Churchill and then to Midshipman, where it started to get really bad,” he recalled. “One house had a car parked in front, and we were battling the car fire in the front yard. From there, all along Midshipman, houses were being threatened.”

The situation became dire for Mr and Mrs Moss, an elderly couple who Mr Thompson helped when flames moved dangerously close to their house on Midshipman Road. 

“The fire was threatening their house. They are both elderly and the wife is blind. We were compelled to stop and assist,” he said.

Another house on Midshipman had fire sweep across the grass and reach the house’s wall, where they could step in and extinguish the flames before it could spread to the structure.

Mr Thompson and his team moved from subdivision to subdivision checking and helping property owners.  

“I have to commend residents yesterday. They were courageous, did not panic, and got their water, wetting down the perimeter of their houses,” Mr Thompson said.

He also acknowledged the efforts of firefighters.  

“I have to commend them because they were fighting fires in other areas.

 “The times we stepped in, the fire trucks were not there on Midshipman. I did call for them to come, and they came while we were fighting the fire. That was the case for several different properties,” he said.

He also commended others assisting in the emergency response, including the industrial sector, the airport, and several contractors who brought out big tank trucks to assist in putting the fires out.  

By Tuesday, Mr Thompson was back out again checking on the situation. He reported there were still pockets of fire, and he saw one abandoned house on Midshipman completely engulfed in flames.

As power restoration efforts continued, many residents remained without electricity, with crews from the power company, cable providers, and BTC working to assess and repair damaged infrastructure.

“If you go down East Sunrise Highway, you will see the power company replacing poles, and also along Midshipman,” Mr Thompson said.