Mosquito plane to help fight fire in Salina Reserve

Fire in the Salina Reserve (Photo by Fred Burton)

(CNS): A brush fire that has been burning in the Salina Reserve in East End since Tuesday is inaccessible to firefighters, and the Mosquito Research and Control Unit has been enlisted to help fight the blaze by spraying water from the air. The cause of the fire is unknown but the fire service told CNS that their crews cannot access the fire because of its location. However, the blaze is burning in an area that is home to many of Cayman’s endangered flora and fauna, including the blue iguanas.

Although no homes or people are at risk, many trees as well as Grand Cayman’s unique and endangered iguana are in the line of fire. As a result the MRCU will be taking to the air this evening to spray water and hopefully put out the blaze. Photos taken by the director of the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme, Fred Burton, on Wednesday morning during a flyover show the area already burnt out and the fire still burning not far from the weather radar station.

Part of the Salina Reserve is already burnt out (Photo by Fred Burton)