On Wednesday night we showed you a fire at the corner of Allemby Street and East Collet Canal that had left a family homeless. The upper flat of the two story building went up in flames in just a matter of minutes. The Fire Department searched for the cause of the fire all of yesterday and today they told us what caused the blaze.
Orin Smith - Station Officer, National Fire Service
"On Wednesday 18th March, 2015, at around 6:26pm, the National Fire Service received and responded to call of a structural fire at #144 Corner Allemby and East Collet Canal. On arrival on the scene, smoke and flames were seeing coming from the mid-north section of the upper flat of a two storey structure. The lower flat of which is concrete utilized for commercial purposes. The upper flat wooden construction utilized for residential purposes. Investigations revealed that the fire originated in the upper section of that building; the roof or ceiling area. The hallway was extensively damaged. The three bedrooms on the southside of the building were not as extensively damaged. The structure was occupied by 7 occupants, none of which were at home at the time the incident occurred. There were 5 adults and 2 minors."
Monica Bodden
"Could you tell us the cause of the fire?"
Orin Smith - Station Officer, National Fire Service
"It classified as electrical. The breaker panel was located in the mid bedroom, east wall, south corner, there were 3 tripped breakers in that panel."
Reporter
"Some of the onlookers and I believe they were owners of the house, said that when the fire truck arrived, it didn't have any water. How do you respond to that?"
Orin Smith - Station Officer, National Fire Service
"That is their opinion. Our trucks are always filled with water. What they do not understand is the hydraulic behind the operation of the truck. If you have a truck of 700 gallons of water, and you utilized 3 lines of 70 mm hoses, each one takes 30 gallons to full it - that's 30x3 = 150 gallons, already taken from your 700 gallons. You have branches that discharges 125 gallons per minute - that 375 gallons of water plus the 150 gallons. How long do you think a truck with 700 gallons is going to last? The public just don't know this. So, there assumption is, once the truck come on scene, 10 minutes minimum, they expect water to be discharged when it's just not practical."
The fire started at 4:30 and was completely put out by 5:45.
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