Fire officials are dismissing claims by alleged witnesses that damage from Bay Front fire this morning “could have been averted if the fire officers were more aggressive when they first arrived on the scene.”
From all reports, including that of the businessmen, observers and authorities the fire started about 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
According to an eyewitness who reportedly saw the destruction from his office, “There was some level of inactivity when the fire officers first arrived.”
One of the proprietors whose business was affected agreed. “I heard they (firefighters) arrived quickly but I don’t know what the delay was about.”
But these claims have been rubbished by Fire Chief Josiah Dupuis who said his men acted accordingly. “There is often a wide gap between the expectation of the public and the reality of what the fire officers have to do when we get on the site,” he pointed out in an interview with DNO. “Preliminary surveys have to be done and people may associate the stage of what they witness, the intensity of the flame, the amount of smoke they see to the proficiency of the fire department, but it’s not a good and accurate measure.”
What remains of Top Shotas Bar on the Bay Front is smouldering debris while the nearby Coco Rico Restaurant and the duty free fashion store, Coco Chic suffered damage.
Rhode firemen did their best. Don’t forget ; this is Dominica, not Germany or Switzerland, where One expects efficiancy and disipline.
Great job!… Firefighters am proud of you guys.The good thing is fire was contained, did not spread.Hats off to you.
good observation keep up good work guy & to the firefighter ..Greeting From Saint Lucia,,
Can’t anyone blame the police for this one….I’m sure they are at fault…
can someone say: “INSURANCE”
big up to the fire officers. i salute u al
some dominican jus like to talk bad about para military personels… is for them to strike and let them big water mouth dominicans do it.. n after we will see who can do it better…. ya… who said so. northe side soldier said so. let them talk let them bla bla bla.. ha.
awe no more music on bay front on fridays..its very sad n disturbing news…
Your comment should put all the speculators to rest. FIRST THING THAT HAS TO BE DONE IN REDPONSE TO AN EMERGENCY IS A PRELIMINARY SITE EVALUATION. Then you will know where and how to direct your limited resources!
Response.. Sorry
ALL WHO THAT THOUGHT THAT THE FIRE MEN COULD DO BETTER SHOULD HAVE GONE OUT AND PUT OUT THE FIRE THEMSELVES
that is totaly rite
0 casualties, 0 collateral damage…. that sounds like a great job to me.
in big fires like this one, the firemen try their best to contain and extinguish the fire. the bigger objective is to prevent the fire from spreading and burining other buildings, can you imagine the shattas fire not being controlled by the fire brigade causing the the other bayfront buildings to burn.
some people expect the fire brigade to dump the truck of water on a fire scene like a helicopter
A job well done fire chief and fire personnel.
In times like this, we have to ignore these “experts” who think there was a delay from the time the officers arrived to the time they began fighting the fire, but the officers has to asses the situation first before taking action. That is pure common sense.
Had the officers jump in without assessing the situation and what plan of action to be taken, these “experts” would have something else to say if something went wrong.
Praises no one got hurt.
Not only would they have some negative comments, but would any of them be able to do what the firemen did? Have they made any valuable contribution to assisting any of the situations? If they can’t make a contribution, I suggest they keep their mouths shut, and all their negative comments to themselves!!
I HOPE IS NOT SOMEBODY THAT DO THAT TO TOP SHATTA. EVEN IF ITS EARLY PEOPLE CAN BE SO WICKED
sorry to hear of a fire at top shatta what could have we t wrong is it electrical
I agree with the Fire Chief. Too many times we Dominicans know how proffesionals do their jobs but I would put them to do that job and see how well they will perform
who give’s a sh**. You people value these physical possesions over people’s live. No…what you saying is that the fire officers should have just run in there and start spraying water. When something happen to them now, you will cry alas. F-ing A!
The firemen were on the scene almost immediately. However, by the time the men found the hydrants that had water, the fire had already consumed the area. In my opinion, I think that the men did an excellent job to contain the fire therby preventing further damages to the adjacent buildings.
What the authorities involved need to do is to check the hydrants periodically. Also simulation exercises should be done throughout the island.
st.martin school children escpially 6-3 just like to mind people business
Wow!! sorry to hear that. Maybe too much faulty or overloaded appliances.
sad to hear
MEN THESE FIREMEN WERE MUST HAVE BEEN DRUNK OVER NIGHT, WHAT IT THERE TO TO FIGURE OUT, THERE IS FIRE, GET THE HOSE OUT AND WATER THE DAME SH**, AND FIGURE OUT LATER, EVERYTHING IS SO SLOW IN D.A
@star dummy… they just gonna pour water on an electrical fire????????
@star you should try this simple experiment at home (if you are so confident in the ability of water to always put out fire). Heat up a frying pan with oil until the the oil is hot enough to ignite. Ignite that oil in the pan then pour water unto that fire. You will realize that it would be a big mistake to do so.
I just wish that there was no fire to begin with. My two cents suggests that the new structures utilize fire resistant materials in their construction.
Thanks, DNO, for the prompt and concise up-to-the-minute reporting. We usually rush to DNO as soon as we hear whispers of some interesting development, and there is always some coverage. At pains, however, of sounding pedantic, may I point out an error that seems to pop up in all of the popular media too frequently. The word “damage” does not have a plural in common usage. The word “damages” is a legal term that is only used to indicate “Monetary compensation that is awarded by a court in a civil action to an individual who has been injured through the wrongful conduct of another party.” Hoping that this helps somehow. Thanks again for the coverage!
good obseervation
nice!
mr.chief you are so correct. we have to much experts in all fields in this country. and what they should be expert in they failing in all aspect. but anyways sir keep up the good works sir. you have enough to deal with in the absent of resources.
are the witnesses alleged or are the claims alleged?
good observation
lol
what about rituals?
Yeah… We hear nothing about that place. Any body knows about Rituals? I guess the concrete roof is weak because of the fire.
trust me Dominica needs places like rituals, that was my spot for my coffee and pies