Two fires gut abandoned Port of Spain building

Hours after fire officers from the Wrightson Road Fire Station responded to a report of a fire at an abandoned building on Shine Street, Port of Spain, on Tuesday morning, they had to return to the same building to extinguish a slightly smaller blaze.

Fire officers said they received a report of a fire at the building opposite Victoria Square, near the Nursing Council of Trinidad and Tobago, at around 4 am.

The fire destroyed most of the interior. No other buildings were damaged.

At around 10.45 am workers in nearby buildings noticed smoke coming from the building again and called the fire service.

Smoke from the fire could be seen from Scott-Bushe Street and Wrightson Road.

Fire officers returned and extinguished the blaze, which appeared to be coming from the ceiling and roof.

Residents said the building had been an attorney's office but was abandoned some time ago.

In putting out the second fire, the roof was damaged, with a gaping hole near the top and front of the building.

A resident of a nearby house recalled seeing the first fire early in the morning.

"It was around 5 am when I heard some sirens from fire trucks passing outside. I came out to see what was going on when I saw this high blaze.

"The fire officers put out the fire, and it was out for a while, but I guess somehow it just reignited not too long ago."

The resident said while the building was abandoned people had been seen jumping over the locked gates and going inside.

Fire officers are continuing enquiries into the cause of the fire.