![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/library-fire-5.jpg\")
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One mentally-ill man is assisting the police with their investigation at the Public Library in Roseau; arson is suspected as the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n
Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Letang\u00a0 told Dominica News Online (DNO), about 9:00 p.m\u00a0 on Wednesday evening (September 22), the Fire and Ambulance Services responded to a fire call at that location and upon arrival, they found the building engulfed by flames.<\/p>\n
He said the fire officers proceeded to control the blaze and were later successful in extinguishing the fire.<\/p>\n
Letang stated that there were no reports of any one being injured or of damage to the neighboring buildings.<\/p>\n
According to the Deputy Fire Chief, the cause of the fire is still under investigation however, arson is suspected.<\/p>\n
“Arson is suspected because from the investigation, it was determined that the building was not supposed to be occupied hence, there is no electricity in the building and the fire may have been started by someone,\u201d he said to DNO.<\/p>\n
The police have also confirmed to DNO that a man who was apprehended on the scene last evening whilst leaving the property, is also in their custody assisting with the investigation.<\/p>\n
The individual is said to have a history of mental illness.<\/p>\n
This is the fourth fire that has occurred at the old library building over the past year, three of which\u00a0 happened last year, within a period of four months.<\/p>\n
The building itself was\u00a0 in a dilapidated, roofless state since the passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017. The service has since been relocated to a building on the corner of Kennedy Avenue and Independence Street in Roseau.<\/p>\n
The Roseau Public Library dates back to the early 1900’s and was designed by a popular administrator, Hesketh Bell and funded by a Scottish-born philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie.<\/p>\n
The library was formally opened on 11th May 1907 provided knowledge and education through the provision of books, magazines etc. free to all who live and work in Dominica. It also co-ordinates the operation of the branch libraries.<\/p>\n
Dominica\u2019s Society for History Architectural Preservation and Enhancement (SHAPE) has been on a campaign to preserve and restore the damaged building on Victoria Street.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One mentally-ill man is assisting the police with their investigation at the Public Library in Roseau; arson is suspected as the cause of the fire. Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Letang\u00a0 told Dominica News Online (DNO), about 9:00 p.m\u00a0 on Wednesday…","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":274538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,19,162,77,235,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accidents-tragedy","category-crime-court-law","category-historical","category-homepage","category-homepage-carousel","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n