By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A FIRE that destroyed three stalls at the Exuma Fish Fry on Friday brought attention to the island’s lack of fire trucks.

The only fire truck is stationed at the airport, where it always remains to comply with aviation regulations and safety standards.

Videos showed flames spreading slowly from one property to another as locals watched in horror on Friday. As volunteers and officials worked together to fight the fire, a heavy machine was used to demolish two structures to prevent further spread. The machine was later used to dump sand on the fire, extinguishing the blaze.

Chief councillor Kendal McPhee told The Tribune that residents mobilised the island’s water tanker and contacted individuals with water trucks for help.

“We had a water truck there, sucking water from the sea, so we had good pressure,” he said.

“They brought in sand to smother the fire, which was very effective — it kept the smoke down, and the hospital is right across the road.”

He said Bahamas Striping Group of Companies provided the heavy equipment to pour sand on the fire. The company is contracted for Exuma’s roadworks as part of a public-private partnership.

Delton Morley, 41, owner of the stall Charlie’s, was at home when a relative informed him of the fire. He was about 20 minutes away when he received the call that his mother’s shop was also burning.

“It’s hard to put into words, knowing you’re powerless to stop it — it’s a sinking feeling,” he said, describing the experience of watching the stall burn.

He admitted the loss had affected his mother.

“I can’t speak directly to her state of mind, but I know it was difficult for her. She has many memories there — she first started it back in 2001 — so it hit her hard.”

He highlighted issues with the firefighting efforts.

“From my understanding, the water tank was empty, and there weren’t any trained people available to operate it,” he said. “Even though the tank was empty, the equipment could have pumped water directly from the sea to fight the fire, but that didn’t happen.”

“A local businessman brought down a water truck, but from what I heard, it didn’t have sufficient pressure. Eventually, they decided to demolish the shack with a front-end loader to stop the fire from spreading further.”

The stall was uninsured, but Mr Morley had planned to secure coverage.

Exuma MP Chester Cooper visited the site on Saturday and announced he would donate $28,000 towards fire relief efforts to help rebuild the businesses and improve safety at the Fish Fry. Mr Morley welcomed the gesture and expressed hope the government would offer additional assistance.

“Even though Charlie’s wasn’t operating at the time, there was a lot of equipment inside — a fully equipped kitchen and bar, furniture, audio equipment, POS machines,” he said. “Replacing all that will be expensive.”

He also expressed hope that the fire would improve the island’s fire services.

Leslie Dames, owner of the Big 12 stall, recalled driving by the Fry when he noticed smoke.

“I was concerned about my bar,” he said.

The incident outraged locals due to the island’s lack of fire trucks. Mr McPhee said two fire trucks had been donated in the past, but they were outdated and didn’t last.

The chief councillor hopes the government will help provide additional fire trucks. He estimated that Exuma needs three to cover the island effectively.

“The island stretches almost 60 miles,” he said. “One fire truck isn’t enough. We need multiple trucks stationed in different areas to respond in case of fire.”

“In the meantime, we have fire bowsers placed throughout the island. They’re doing a good job, as they can help contain a fire until another bowser from a nearby settlement arrives.”

He added that officials are exploring the creation of a fire brigade to train residents in each settlement to respond to fires.

Mr Cooper said his office, in partnership with local government, acquired several water bowsers and trailers a few years ago that are strategically placed across the island, which stretches 45 miles.

He described this as a temporary solution until the Royal Bahamas Police Force acquires and assigns a fire truck to Exuma.

“I have reached out to the vendors and assured them of my support and the government’s assistance in rebuilding their establishments,” he said.