ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, March 14th, 2012  – The Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Services Department is cautioning the Virgin Islands community to avoid ventilating a fire.

This statement came as a result of a building fire that occurred at Belmont West End on March 10. According to Acting Chief Fire Officer Mr. William Penn a fire was reported at 6:42 a.m. at a three story apartment building located in Belmont, West End, where the residents of the apartment tried to open up the door to extinguish the fire without proper equipment.

An off-duty Fire Officer, and apartment resident, Mr. Derek Duncan was present at the scene, and was able to stop the residents from opening the apartment, an action that he explained would have ventilated the fire and caused it to spread much faster.

The investigation revealed that the fire was attributed to a refrigerator compressor malfunction. The fire then spread throughout the dining room where the refrigerator was located, on to the living room/kitchen areas destroying chairs and other furniture. Minor heat and smoke damages were sustained as well as discoloration to interior walls, in the bedrooms and the bathroom. An estimated 15% of the apartment was damaged.

“If you are not at home when a fire starts, it is never wise to enter a burning building. Call for emergency assistance because you may not know the condition which may aide the spread of fire,” Mr. Penn cautioned. He also encouraged residents to decrease their vulnerability to the fire hazard by having the proper alert and safety equipment like fire alarms and extinguishers at all times.

To date the Fire and Rescue Services Department has received 144 calls, of which three were building fires.
The Fire and Rescue Services Department is committed to protecting life and property from the ravages of manmade and natural disasters.

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