The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A FIRE tore through the Fish Fry in Nicholls Town, Andros, early yesterday as residents fought flames with buckets of seawater, once again exposing the absence of a functioning fire engine on an island of The Bahamas.

The blaze broke out shortly before 6am, turning a quiet morning into chaos as residents ran for help, shouted warnings and rushed to the sea in a desperate effort to slow the fire’s spread. With no operable fire truck, residents said they were left defenceless as strong winds pushed the flames from stall to stall.

By the time the fire burned itself out, every stall had been destroyed. Owners stood amid twisted metal and ash, many holding their heads in disbelief. For several vendors, it marked the second time their livelihoods had been wiped out, after also suffering damage during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. None of the stalls was insured.

The fire has rekindled concerns about firefighting equipment nationwide, where recent blazes across multiple islands have repeatedly raised questions about fire truck availability and response capacity. In New Providence, residents displaced by a major fire near Victoria Court on Bay Street last year questioned whether the damage could have been limited amid reports of stretched fire resources.

Similar concerns emerged in Grand Bahama last year when residents were forced to battle a prolonged bush fire after it was revealed that key fire engines were not operational.

In Exuma, fires near commercial areas and at the Exuma Fish Fry last year highlighted reliance on airport-based equipment, again leaving residents to improvise when flames broke out.

North Andros and Berry Islands MP Leonardo Lightbourne confirmed to The Tribune that the fire engine serving the area was not operable, though he could not say which part was missing. Asked about residents’ concerns that a functioning fire truck could have prevented the fire from spreading, he said that was “neither here or there”, while stressing the importance of having proper infrastructure and equipment in place to assist residents during emergencies.

Mr Lightbourne said there was a water source near the site that helped residents battle the blaze and said discussions would be held on how best to provide relief to affected vendors. He added that demolition of the site has already begun and said he remains committed to standing with residents during the aftermath.

Among those hardest hit was Nadia Sweeting, owner of Sweeting’s Wabbie Palace, who said she had invested more than $100,000 rebuilding a three-level stall and was just weeks away from opening.

“I have not sold one bottle of water, I just rebuilt my stall,” she said. “I haven’t opened my doors yet.”

Ms Sweeting said the structure was about 98 percent complete when it was destroyed. The 38-year-old Andros native said the business has been in her family for years and that she had planned to return home full-time to run it, leaving her job at the Cat Cay Yacht Club near Bimini.

She said she received a call from a church member telling her the stall was on fire and immediately feared there was little that could be done.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do because we don’t have a fire truck,” she said.

She rushed to the scene, but by the time she arrived, the flames were already raging. She later returned home to collect buckets to help others fetch water, but the efforts proved futile.

Birgie Jones, 76, owner of Birgies, said she had operated at the Fish Fry for nearly 40 years and rebuilt her stall at her own expense after Hurricane Matthew. She said residents tried to save her business, but low water pressure and low tide made it difficult to access seawater. Only a few chairs were salvaged.

She said she had visited her stall the day before the fire, sitting quietly as the new year began. Now, she said, she worries about how her daughter will support her child without the business.

Another vendor, Marlyin Grant of One for the Road, said residents have been calling for infrastructure upgrades for decades and believes at least one stall could have been saved if a fire engine had been available.

Mrs Grant said her husband suffered bruises from repeatedly running into the sea to collect buckets of water. She urged the government to provide financial assistance to help vendors rebuild, saying the loss has left families facing immediate hardship.

She said she fears she will be “hungry tomorrow” because she does not know how she will now support her family.

All of the stall owners said they hope to rebuild for a third time, but stressed that without a working fire engine, the community remains dangerously exposed to another disaster.

Free National Movement candidate for North Andros Carlton Bowleg criticised the sitting MP for failing to resolve the fire truck issue, despite funds being allocated to improve the constituency. He said North Andros previously had two fire engines, one of which was damaged in an accident.

Mr Bowleg warned Mr Lightbourne against offering promises of assistance for political gain while residents continue to live without basic emergency protection.