YESTERDAY'S MASSIVE fire which destroyed three houses in Greenwich Town, Kingston, leaving at least 45 persons homeless, began in an illegal gas station which the police say they have been trying to shut down for some time.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police, Newton Amos, the station has been in operation since 1989. He said it was closed down following a raid carried out by the police in 1988 but has since restarted operations.
"Over 16 families have lost their homes because of the greed of people who have this illegal operation," he said.
He added that the facility, located on 32a Seventh Street in the area, is used by a number of motorists from all sections of the society because of the enticement of cheaper gas. "More people come here for gas than go to the established gas station," he said.
Junior Walcott, who lives at a nine bedroom house at 34 Seventh Street along with nine other family members, said he was not at the home when the fire started. A maintenance plumber at Kingston Wharves, Mr. Walcott said he lost everything in the fire.
"Mi confuse mi caan even talk," he said. "All mi save is the clothes dem pon mi back."
Sonia Skyers, who lives at a tenement yard at 32 Seventh Street which was burnt out, said she was in the house with her one-year-old son along with some of her nieces and nephews, when she heard loud explosions which sounded like gun shots. She said she subsequently felt the house getting hot and then saw flames coming through the windows.
"A then tek dem (children) and run out of the house," she said. "I lost everything in the fire."
Four fire trucks from York Park, Trench Town, Half-Way Tree and Rollington Town fire stations came on the scene yesterday to fight the fire which started at about 3:00 in the afternoon.
However, the lack of water in the area hampered the efforts of the over 50 fire-fighters who battled the blaze. They had to send for assistance from the National Water Commission, which provided one of their rapid-response water trucks.
For hours the firemen tried to control the blaze which raged from a burnt-out tanker on the gas station premises, as well as the flames from the three houses which flanked it.
Most of the residents were unwilling to speak about the cause of the fire. However, one man told The Gleaner that it started when a spark from the muffler of a car caught fumes which were coming from the tanker which was off-loading oil at to barrels on the premises.
Deputy Superintendent Amos said that the police have been trying to close down the operation for some time but has not received any substantial assistance from the state-owned oil refinery, Petrojam, which he said is aware of the station.
He said in 1998 the police seized over 100 gallons of oil from the premises but was hampered in putting the matter before the courts by the refinery's tardiness in carrying out tests on the oil. He said it has been very difficult closing down the operation because of the influential persons in the society have connections to it.
