Firefighters battle Teteron barracks blaze

Firefighters from various fire stations were able to extinguish most of the fire that threatened ammunition bunkers at the Teteron Barracks, Chaguaramas, on Tuesday morning.

Fire officers said they received reports at around 10 am, but suspect the blaze may have been started since Monday by nearby bushfires.

Firefighters from the Four Roads station in Diego Martin were called first, with assistance from Chaguaramas, Woodbrook, Santa Cruz and Wrightson Road headquarters.

Fire officers said the blaze was so large that off-duty officers had to be called out.

Soldiers helped by moving ammunition from nearby bunkers.

Up until late Tuesday afternoon, fire officers were still dousing smaller fires at the barracks.

They said while the fire no longer posed a threat to the bunkers, the situation was not yet over.

Newsday spoke to acting Chief Fire Officer Marlon Smith, who said fire officers were able to put out most of the fire after working for most of the day.

He also said while it was too early to confirm what caused the fire, it began with some trees and dry bushes.

“This is something that began since yesterday (Monday), when a large area was on fire at the time. It was spread across several areas, so in these areas, the fire officers were positioned to control the blaze.

It was under control, he said.

“But there are some parts of the area that were on fire that are inaccessible, and we want to be vigilant of these areas. Part of the challenge we had in fighting this fire was the sheer size of the land that was on fire.

“But fortunately nobody was injured,” Smith said with some trees and bushes were lost but there was no major damage to property at the barracks. A media release from the Regiment attributed the fires to bushfires and confirmed that soldiers and fire officers were working together to prevent any damage or injuries.

Comments

"Firefighters battle Teteron barracks blaze"

More in this section