By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

“THE whole island is on fire,” an Abaco fire chief warned yesterday, as multiple wildfires continued to rage across the island, threatening homes and critical infrastructure.

Danny Sawyer, fire chief for Central Abaco, told The Tribune that at least four separate fires are burning in areas including Dundas Town, Murphy Town, and Spring City.

“You got one between Marsh (Harbour) and what they call the chicken farm down south and then you got one on the other side of the road going on towards camp Abaco,” he said.

He said the situation has stretched local firefighting resources to the limit.

On Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, he said crews worked through the night monitoring new blazes in Dundas and Murphy Town, which are now under control.

Earlier this week, firefighters battled a fire in Spring City that intensified after spreading through what was believed to be a car dump site. The flames moved dangerously close to the Marsh Harbour International Airport.

Videos sent to The Tribune showed the fire near the airport’s control tower.

Mr Sawyer said he was awaiting word on whether officials would shut down the airport but confirmed firefighters had deployed a 6,000-gallon tanker after the fire reached the security fence.

Crews were relieved when the flames moved west of the runway, sparing key infrastructure.

“They say it’s not too bad, it’s gone to the west of the airport,” he said.

Stephen Pedican, manager of the Leonard M Thompson International Airport, confirmed the fire reached the airport perimeter but said it posed no threat to the runway due to strong easterly winds. He said visibility was not a concern then, although officials continued monitoring conditions closely.

The cause of the fires remains unknown. However, residents have expressed frustration, blaming uncollected debris left behind by Hurricane Dorian for fuelling the flames.

Mr Sawyer echoed those concerns, citing fallen pine trees and derelict vehicle yards.

“There’s just too many derelict vehicles compound here,” he said. “But it’s really mysterious how it’s happening all over the place.”

Roscoe Thompson, chairman of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City Township, said one farmer lost a work trailer, bush hog, and other equipment in the fire.

Fire officials also confirmed that at least two dilapidated buildings were damaged.

“We couldn’t stop them from burning down, but we got no injuries,” Mr Sawyer added.

Residents said Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) utility lines were affected.

While BPL officials did not respond to requests for comment, Mr Thompson confirmed the damage.

“It did affect four or five BPL poles and their main feeder lines, but they are just hanging there right now. They’re waiting on the smoke and things to clear and they would be able to go in and deal with them because we’ve had to go out there to help put him out,” Mr Thompson said.

He said there had been no power interruptions so far, but warned of possible outages once BPL teams begin repairs.

As the fires rage on, many Abaconians took to social media to express fear and frustration, saying they feel unsupported as the danger grows.

One resident even tagged the prime minister, pleading: “We feel abandoned.”

Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder did not respond to messages from this newspaper yesterday.

However, Chief Superintendent Michael Thurston, the officer in charge of the Abaco Division, told The Tribune yesterday that “everything was under control.”

“We’re monitoring it, but there’s no threat to any buildings,” he added.

Mr Thompson said most of the fires have been contained, except for the one still burning near the airport.