HEAD of the fire service, Commissioner Errol Mowatt, says the wildfires which have been ravaging the hills of East Rural St Andrew are unprecedented, and have put severe strain on the department’s scarce resources, even while it fights other bush fires across the island.

The bush fires, which have affected a number of communities, including Mavis Bank, Violet Gap, Guava Ridge, Craig Hill, Lime Tree, Tower Hill, Salt Hill, Forest Park Hill and as far as Tower Hill, account for the second major fire situation that the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) has had to battle in just a month as they came on the heels of a massive blaze at the Riverton City dump in Kingston.

“For those who live in the communities, those who have farms and so on… are telling us that they have never seen anything like they are seeing now. We have never seen anything like we are seeing now. The firefighters are demonstrating a kind of resilience in dealing with these that is unheard of [as] the terrain is difficult, and it is not an area where we can apply conventional firefighting approaches,” Mowatt told yesterday’s Jamaica House press briefing in Kingston.

He further pointed out that methods have had to be employed that are against training, and which are particularly risky for personnel. “We have had to be inserting firefighters directly into hot zones. That is against our practice, but we are working hard. Today, up to this point, is one of our better days in several days… what we are doing is mopping up in some areas,” he said. But he said high winds continue to make the task difficult as the fires have moved into “unanticipated” areas.

In the meantime, the fire chief said the Blue Mountain fires were not the only wildfires that the department has been trying to bring under control at this time as there have been a number of other incidents across the island. “We have these fires right across the island. The brigade is under tremendous pressure to keep up with the number of calls that we are getting. Some days we had to put some of the bush fires on hold because we simply don’t have the kind of resources to deploy to all of them; we are stretched to the limit, but we will continue to do what we have to do,” he said.

The commissioner said anywhere up to 60 firefighters are some days deployed to battle fires in East Rural St Andrew, assisted by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). “It’s dynamic…it depends on the circumstances on the ground,” he said. Mowatt said no assessment has been conducted yet on the cost of the operation by the brigade.

The fire chief again lamented the lighting of fires by some members of the farming community, and said the fire brigade would ramp up its education and awareness campaign to combat this practice. “It happens every year. It is the public we have to focus on and how they deal with fires. Slashing and burning is yet the number one problem,” he said, arguing that while the method used by many small farmers was due to their “economic reality”, the damage and devastation was not worth the while.

In the meantime, director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) Major Clive Davis said after putting the necessary protective mechanisms in place, the fire brigade would just have to leave some fires to “burn themselves out”.

He described the terrain where the fires are being fought as “inhospitable and unforgiving”, due to the high slopes and deep valleys, noting also that the JFB, in partnership with the JDF, has in the past week been fighting similar fires in the Jack’s Hill, Constitution Hill, Stony Hill, and Guava Ridge areas of St Andrew.

Davis warned that it is expected that when the rains do come, some areas may be exposed to landslides as the fires have seared vegetation, which usually provide a protective barrier. “This is seen as a clear and present danger, which must be managed. It gives additional reason to ensure that the fires are halted in the shortest possible time,” he stated.

At the same time, ODPEM boss made it clear that Jamaicans should brace for a continuation of these types of fires due to the prevailing dry and windy weather conditions. “The daytime heating and the extended dry conditions, influenced by strong winds, are perfect recipes for bush fires,” he said.

On Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Derrick Kellier, in a statement to Parliament, said the fires have so far destroyed about $60 million worth of coffee, or 120 hectares in the Blue Mountain region. He said preliminary estimates are that 500 acres of crops have gone up in smoke, resulting in losses of approximately $200 million.