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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesEAST END FIRE UNDER CONTROL

EAST END FIRE UNDER CONTROL

Nov. 20, 2002 – A blaze that engulfed hundreds of acres on the East End of St. Croix was under control Tuesday after firefighters spent all day Sunday and Monday extinguishing the flames.
Fire Services Chief Roberto Santos said inspectors believe the fire was deliberately started sometime on Sunday.
"We believe somebody might have started it on the side of the road," Santos said, adding that it appeared to be arson because firemen discovered more than one point of origin.
Firemen labored over the weekend to keep the flames under control, and Santos said no visible hotspots remain.
The fire stretched over the expansive hills on the East End from above Great Pond Bay to the Divi Carina Bay Casino and Hotel. "We got it under control right before it started to go over into the Divi parking lot," Santos said. "It's totally out now unless somebody does it again."
Santos said only a couple of houses were in any immediate danger, but fire workers managed to salvage them. "I say hats off to the men and women who were out there working so hard," he said.
About 26 Fire Services employees fought the fire, which consumed "hundreds" of acres of land, Santos said. "I can't even give an estimate right now."
He said the East End is particularly susceptible to brush fires because it is consistently dry.

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