At 10:45am Wednesday the Emergency Dispatch received the first of several calls reporting a bush fire in the vicinity of Madrid Road in Middle Region. The callers also stated the fire was rapidly spreading in different directions due to the constantly changing wind direction.
Police patrols along with the Fire Department immediately went to the location. On the scene the officers realised that the fire had become quite large and was threatening homes and other buildings in the area. It had also spread into Garden of Eden in Dutch Quarter. At one point, the blaze seriously threatened the building where the TelEm antenna is situated at the top of the hill, along with two fuel tanks. However, firefighters managed to get the flames under control and extinguished after two hours. The police sent a stern warning to the community not to light any fires or to burn any garbage because of the very dry season. These fires may accidentally get out of control, spread rapidly and cause unnecessary damage to buildings and/or animals, or even threaten persons’ lives.
