By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FRUSTRATION is mounting among Abaco residents who say their repeated calls for the government to clear debris from a demolished shanty town have gone unanswered, even as the area has become a dumping ground and fire hazard.

Videos shared on social media show piles of garbage bags, tyres, derelict vehicles, broken furniture, glass, and wood scattered throughout the site.

On Sunday morning, residents were alerted to a small fire in the Gaza shanty town near SC Bootle Highway, west of Murphy Town. Officials believe someone intentionally lit the blaze to dispose of garbage.

Danny Sawyer, fire chief for Central Abaco, said firefighters extinguished the fire, but he stressed the area remains a safety concern. Mr Sawyer noted that several fires have occurred at the site since the shanty town was demolished last year, adding that the Ministry of Works never cleared the debris. He said the location has now become a “regular dump site.”

“You can see all the cans and bottles and just all the derelict vehicles that was left there,” he said. “It's right on the main highway. That's not a very good sight for our tourists to see.”

In February 2024, the Ministry of Works reported that more than 60 structures had been demolished at the Gaza shanty town, with more expected to follow.

Residents living near the area say they are now forced to inhale toxic fumes and contend with persistent fires sparked by the rubbish.

Roscoe Thompson, chairman of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City Township, also expressed concern about the debris. He said the Ministry of Works set the stage for uncontrolled dumping by failing to clear the site after demolition.

“They started a chain reaction that's just gotten out of hand. Local government can only do so much,” he said.

Mr Thompson said he has reached out to MP for North Abaco Kirk Cornish, MP for Central and South Abaco John Pinder, and Minister of Works Clay Sweeting about the issue. He said Mr Sweeting told him he was waiting on funds to complete the clean-up.

Mr Thompson questioned why clean-up efforts were not organised before demolition began.

Residents say they are now left with an eyesore and ongoing fire hazard at their doorstep.

In March, Abaco residents again urged the government to clear debris from demolished shanty towns, warning that the rubble is fuelling fires that pose serious health risks to nearby communities. Smoke from another fire in the Gaza shanty town was visible in surrounding neighbourhoods and to motorists travelling on the highway.