$1-m fire at UWI
FIRE yesterday destroyed a lecture room and four offices on the second floor of the Management Studies Department, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. Damage has been estimated at $1 million.
The blaze, which started at about 6:30 am, was caused by an electrical short circuit, confirmed Lansford Williams, assistant superintendent in charge at the Half-Way-Tree Fire Station.
Firefighters from the Half-Way-Tree station, who began fighting the flames at approximately 7:00 am, had to radio York Park for a backup unit as there was no water on the campus.
Sources said the campus has been without water since Sunday. The UWI’s water truck was also said to be in the garage undergoing repairs.
“We were hampered a little bit because of the lack of water,” said Dennis Lyon, district officer at the Half-Way-Tree station.
“We checked the hydrants along the way, but there was no water. The security told us that it has been off since yesterday (Sunday),” he said.
Lyon said, however, that firefighters had more than enough water to control the blaze from the Half-Way-Tree unit and the one dispatched from York Park, in downtown Kingston.
The second unit pulled up outside the management studies complex at 7:14 am.
But, as the fire raged, and the firefighters sought to contain it, a group of management studies students who had gathered at the scene, argued that the university should have been able to fight the blaze until a unit got there.
“I could not believe that there were maintenance people just standing around doing nothing,” one woman complained loudly.
But Lanceford Jackson and Deaner Dennis, two members of the UWI maintenance department, told the Observer that they noticed smoke coming from the building, but other than calling the fire department, there was not much else that they could have done.
“No water is on the campus. There has been none since yesterday,” explained Jackson.
Dennis also pointed out that the water truck was in the garage. “We have a hose like the one being used by the firemen, but it cannot get around here, Dennis added.
Meanwhile, Barrington Lynch, a caretaker at the Management Studies complex, said that when he became aware that a section of the building was on fire, he immediately pulled down the breakers and called the fire department.
“At around 6:30 am I heard a loud noise, it sounded like when the men drop something heavy on the site,” Lynch said. He said shortly after, someone called out to him, informing him that smoke was coming from the building.
“The classroom was opened but when we rushed up there, there was so much fire in there that we could not enter,” the caretaker of 15 years told the Observer. He said a lecture room, and rooms seven to 10, were affected in the blaze. The damaged classroom could accommodate about 20 people.
The rest of the building, including a lecture theatre were untouched by the blaze.
“The storeroom where we keep stationary and goods like milk, coffee and toilet paper. Even the room where the children of staff members used to stay in during the days gone…” Lynch added, his voice trailing off.
Carol Edwards, the UWI’s public relations officer, confirmed that one classroom, three small offices and a photocopying room were destroyed.
“There was damage to one of the classrooms upstairs the management studies complex, furniture was destroyed, the ac units, the roofs, windows and so on but there is no estimate yet of the damage,” Edwards said early in the day.
She added that classes would be relocated initially, “but we don’t expect any major disruption”.
– Additional reporting by Indi Mclymont