Up to late last night, firefighters from the Junction and Santa Cruz fire stations in St Elizabeth were battling a massive bush fire in the Woodside area of the parish which has so far destroyed more than 120 acres of crops valued at over $10 million.

According to Lenworth Blake, the member of parliament for the area, the fire started 10 days ago in the Trial area but has since spread to the communities of Lovers Leap, Ballards Valley and Woodside. Two water trucks, he said, from the Rapid Response Unit of the National Water Commission and one from the Alpart Bauxite Company are assisting the firefighters in putting out the blaze.

Senior superintendent in charge of the St Elizabeth Fire Department, Dave McLaughlin, told the Observer that the firemen are being hampered by the hilly terrain of the area.

“This fire is a bit nagging,” he said, explaining that most of the flames were in areas not easily accessible to firefighters. “It’s not easy to extinguish,” he said.