Fire crews battle brush blaze in Lower Valley

Brush fire in Lower Valley, 22 May 2019

(CNS): Motorists are urged to avoid the Pedro Castle Road, Lower Valley, area as fire crews are battling a brush fire which started sometime around 2pm today. Residents are advised to stay in their homes with windows closed to avoid the large amount of smoke caused by the fire. The Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) has called in off-duty officers to help those from Central and Frank Sound Fire Stations, who were immediately deployed to the area to get the fire under control.

Officials from the home affairs ministry said the fire fighters are currently working in multiple areas throughout the scene to ensure the flames do not spread into any nearby residences. No homes are in danger at this time and so far no one has been hurt, they stated in a release.

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is assisting and has deployed a drone to help pinpoint the areas burning so the fire crews can focus their response on hot-spots to extinguish them.

“As a matter of public safety, the CIFS will continue to protect property and ensure the flames do not come into contact with any direct threats in the area,” officials stated. “Responding officers will remain on scene until they can confirm that the fire has been fully extinguished. Once fully extinguished, the fire prevention team will assess the scene to determine the cause of the fire.”

The news of the latest fire follows a brush fire which ignited on Monday off the Queens Highway in East End.

According to CIFS, that fire was caused by people burning trash in the area and flames spread to nearby bushes. A fire crew from Frank Sound was able to safely douse the flames without anyone being hurt.