Firefighters Battle Castries Bushfire For Hours

On Wednesday, for about four hours, Saint Lucia Fire Service (SLFS) personnel battled a bushfire in Belair, Castries, before bringing it under control. Responders from the SLFS headquarters in Castries rushed to the scene after receiving a call for assistance at about 11:15 am. A functioning hydrant in the area facilitated their firefighting efforts. Someone apparently started the fire to burn rubbish, but it got out of control. However, the blaze in an open lot did not immediately threaten residences. It was not an isolated incident. During the current dry season, SLFS personnel have had to put out other bushfires around Saint Lucia. Last month, firefighters spent about six hours monitoring and controlling a bushfire in Vieux Fort that did not threaten life or property. Such fires, coupled with a spike in road collisions, stabbings, shootings, and other forms of physical assaults, have posed a challenge for emergency responders. As a result,  the fire service has issued a national bushfire alert According to the Saint Lucia Criminal Code, setting an outdoor fire requires legal authorisation. The fire department revealed that in 2018, it responded to 499 bushfires, a whopping 891 in 2019 and 587 in 2020. In 2021, there were...