Health facility in Runaway Bay destroyed by fire before 60th anniversary
ST ANN, Jamaica – The Bay Medical facility in Runaway Bay, St Ann was destroyed by fire on Monday morning.
No casualty was reported.
The Jamaica Fire Brigade said it received the call about 4:50 am.
Public Relations Officer for the Brigade, Emeleo Ebanks, told OBSERVER ONLINE that two units had to be dispatched from the St Ann’s Bay Station and one from the Brown’s Town Station.
“At 4:50 am, we received a call that there was a dwelling house on fire in Runaway Bay St Ann we responded with three units – two from St Ann’s Bay and one from Brown’s Town. We have investigators trying to ascertain the cause of the fire,” he said.
The cost of the damage has not yet been ascertained.
In the meantime, Dr Paul Auden, who practised at the location and whose family established the facility almost 60 years ago, said he was in Kingston when he learnt about the blaze.
He expressed sadness at the destruction of the structure but remained grateful that the family dwelling adjoining the facility was spared the brunt of the damage.
“Social media is quite quick because I was in Kingston about to drive to Mandeville when I saw a message pop up on my phone, where a friend of mine said, ‘oh no looks like the Auden family home is on fire in Runaway Bay. That message came at 5:36 am and I saw it at 5:40 am. By the time I saw it and could respond and look, a friend of mine in Runaway Bay had sent a video showing the fire, confirmed the house is on fire and then I stopped what I was doing and redirected myself and came here,” he said.
“I must commend the fire services for containing the fire, so the entire structure was not fully destroyed. The upstairs dwelling side is partially damaged, but most of it is intact. The medical centre that my father had started…in 1964 was totally gutted. This was one of those iconic places in Runaway Bay for almost 60 years, so next year would have been 60 years this house has been in existence and a medical practice being here”, he continued.
Although the fire brigade has not released a cause for the blaze, Auden believes the fire could be linked to an electrical problem, adding that the problem may have been caused by the island-wide disruption in power experienced last weekend.
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“Just looking at what we’re hearing from people who looked on, electricians were here too, firemen were here, it seemed to be an electrical fire. What we do know is that the power outages in Runaway Bay were right through the weekend…as you know there was a massive all-island power cut Saturday night I think at about 7:30, 8 o clock power shut down and then was restored in certain areas, there was load shedding so there have been continuous interruptions and surges,” he added.
He said the damage could have been worse if all the oxygen cylinders had exploded.
Auden underscored that the family will have to come together to devise a way forward.
