Early Tuesday morning, a fire in the lot behind Island Department Store in Duffs Bottom destroyed 22 cars owned by Tortola Auto Group, officials said.
Chief Fire Officer Zebalon McLean told the Beacon the Road Town Fire Station received a call at 3:27 a.m., and five fire officers arrived on the scene about six minutes later to fight the blaze and help move cars out of the path of destruction.
Mr. McLean wasn’t sure how long it took to extinguish the fire, but by sunrise 22 automobiles were destroyed.
As far as he knows, however, no gas tanks exploded, he said.
“There were some times when the flames were pretty high, but explosions, no,” Mr. McLean added.
Arson not ruled out
As of Tuesday afternoon, an investigation was ongoing, and arson had not been ruled out, according to the fire chief.
“It’s going to be a joint investigation by both fire and police,” Mr. McLean said. “So at this time, I can’t speculate.”
He added, however, that arson is “unusual” in the territory.
“You could never rule it out, but it’s not something that you would see happening [often],” he said.
The cars were lined up in a lot behind Island Department Store in Duffs Bottom. (Photo: RUSHTON SKINNER)
Burnt shells
Shortly before noon on Tuesday, the burnt shells of the cars were lined in rows next to Island Department Store as fire officers and at least one plainclothes detective investigated the scene.
On another section of the lot nearby were several other cars that were untouched by the flames. They appeared brand new, with window markers denoting an inventory number.
TAG Managing Director Shan Mohamed, who is also the managing director of NAGICO Insurances, declined to comment on Tuesday, and Police Information Officer Akia Thomas-Nero didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Mr. McLean said Tuesday that fire-safety practices can be implemented in cars just like in buildings.
“We encourage all residents to keep their vehicles maintained, to have them serviced and checked by a qualified mechanic regularly,” he said.
Additionally, small fire extinguishers can be purchased at hardware stores.
“Learn how to use an extinguisher and have a small one in the vehicle in case something like this were to happen — just in case there might be a little fire or flame in your vehicle for whatever reason,” Mr. McLean advised.
