Vandals set fire to TSTT circuit in San Fernando

Vandals destroyed a key TSTT circuit by fire at Cross Crossings, San Fernando early on Saturday, disrupting both landline and internet connectivity for thousands in South Trinidad.

By 6 pm, TSTT said service had been restored to the majority of customers. TSTT manager of media and stakeholder relations Janelle David said full service was expected to be restored by Sunday.

She said many commercial operators and residential areas were affected but could not say how many.

A statement from TSTT said one of its critical cable arteries was burnt and the fire appeared to have been deliberately set.

“An initial assessment strongly indicates it was a malicious act. A fire appeared to have been set near this vital arm of our network infrastructure, resulting in extensive damage to network cables.”

The company said after the blaze was extinguished an assessment was done to determine the impact to the infrastructure.

“It is deeply troubling that this is the second incident in approximately six months in this area. In August 2022, vandals destroyed underground cables at the same site resulting in $1 million in damage and extensive inconvenience to customers across the country, with concentrated impact in South Trinidad. The company hopes that this matter is investigated thoroughly.”

That incident led the Government to implement a six-month ban on the scrap-iron industry which came into effect under the Customs Act on August 12. That ban was lifted on Friday.

TSTT apologised to its customers for the disruption of service.