Fire razes Olympian’s property as trucks run out of water

A protracted blaze at the Skibo Avenue premises of Jamaican Olympian Rupert Hoilett has raised fresh concern about Corporate Area water woes and the ability of the fire brigade to respond to emergencies.

For hours yesterday morning, Hoilett stood helplessly as four fire trucks that rushed to the scene at different times, ran out of water and had to leave to be refilled.

“I can’t believe it,” said Hoilett, a former Kingston College track star. Firefighters complained that the hydrants in proximity to the premises were not working.

The firefighters managed to save Hoilett’s house, but an adjacent furniture shop was flattened in the furnace that raged for more than three hours. A Mercedes-Benz motor car was also destroyed.

Nearby, the occupants of a shop scrambled to remove furniture and appliances out of fear that the fire would spread to their building.

“Nearby hydrants were not working so we had to go where hydrants work,” one firefighter told The Gleaner by telephone yesterday afternoon. The management of the fire brigade could not immediately comment on the extent of the problem.

Meanwhile, at the scene of the fire yesterday, one firefighter sought to appease angry residents demanding better service.

The firefighter told the residents that the Jamaica Fire Brigade was under-resourced, adding that it was an issue about which they should protest.

Investigations are still being carried out to determine the cause of the fire.

In recent weeks, the National Water Commission has reported increased inflows at the Corporate Area water storage facilities in Mona and Hermitage. However, several residents continue to complain about the lack of water in their pipes.