Fire burns down units in GT rental complex
(CNS): Over 30 people were made homeless following another fire at a tenement complex in George Town at the weekend. The Cayman Islands Fire Service confirmed that it was called to the structural fire at Gresscott Lane, off Rock Hole Road in George Town, at around 3pm on Sunday. The fire crew arrived on the scene at 3:02pm and found flames and smoke visible from the front door of the residence. They swiftly brought the fire under control and the blaze was fully extinguished by 3:11pm.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway and Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Randy Rankin appealed to the public to adhere to fire safety protocols.
“Prevention is key. The fire service is doing its part and we ask the public to join in observing fire safety at all times,” he said, adding that the quick response of firefighters stopped the fire from spreading. “We remain steadfast in our dedication to safeguarding the well-being of Cayman.”
This is the second fire in less than a month at a rental unit complex. A fire at a tenement yard in Fern Circle, George Town, reportedly caused by generators, made almost two dozen people homeless after the planning department condemned the property.
This latest complex to be burned down was home mostly to expatriate workers, many of whom are being taken care of by the Red Cross at the shelter on Huldah Avenue as they have nowhere else to go after the fire, which started inside one of the units.
The property is owned by local businessman Prentice Panton, who told the Cayman Compass that he purchased the complex in 2009. It has 14 rental units that can accommodate up to 30 people, but Panton admitted that there could be more people living in the complex.
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Category: Local News
In Cayman, fires aren’t necessarily accidents, but they are almost certainly an insurance claim. Call Tina and see how she can help you get the most from your property claim.
Always catering to certain nationalities and preferring others did not work out for this slumlord this time I hope charges are prefer against her and the tenant.
The landlord spouse is a complete business joke and picks tenants by nationality who is totally clueless and a horrendous landlord with no regards for anyone but for her image. I hope a thorough investigation is done and the landlord prosecuted.
This landlord is not even Caymanian and needs to be jailed Does not have clue how to run a business only concerned with likes of social media and has distain for locals
East End traffic vs Slumlord in GT … I will deal with the traffic
Planning laws here are a joke, half of the old homes on Crew Road have been turned into tenements. Its all roadside and clearly visible to any law enforcement driving past.
Noting will be done until we have a Grenfell situation where a fire kills a few dozen people, at which point CIG will dawn the black bows and wring their hands about what a tragedy it was, all while striking out a few more safety regulations while people are distracted.
Cause of the fire? Will it be investigated and will it be made public or will a rug be thrown over it? If someone died would it be criminal negligence? These informal housing projects at the very least need inspections for code violations and fire hazards.
I guess this is the worst time in our history to be asking questions since JuJu and her clowns can’t even move quick enough to get doctors for our furry friends. Everyday people are most likely not in her to do list or Jay’s either. Wake up Jay! This one needs your utmost attention. This is not a time to be catching some ZZZZs Jay!
low cost accomodation is critically need d in cayman in large amounts…however it must be done to some basic standards at least….
How do you not know how many people are staying in your units? You should be doing a walk through of your units at least every three months to see if any repairs are needed. Some landlords just collect rent and that’s it. When those people move out, you have to put out a lot of money trying to fix it up because you didn’t keep an eye on the property regularly.
So, which set of planning laws is it that allows this type of use of this other similar buildings? Seems the density might be a bit off, you know, for 0.2 of an acre?
“The property is owned by local businessman Prentice Panton”.
The same one who owns shops across Cayman that openly import / sell drug related paraphernalia out in the open from bongs, to pipes, to blunt papers, grinders, rolling machines and hundreds upon hundreds of other products under the gise of “tobacco products”.
The same one who owns shops across Cayman that openly imports / sells every sex toy under the sun.
Maybe one of his tenants was knackered after using a strap on and passed with a giant spliff in their hand that lit the bed on fire?
Laws? What laws.
Why have the Police Farce not impounded the numerous illegally parked vehicles that are reported to have impeded the response of emergency services?
Why to we even bother with laws?
Parliamentarians – you look like assholes. Government employees ignore your legislation with impunity.
When will enough be enough?
There was a Trade and Business license to rent more than two units, right?
The property was operating in compliance with the planning laws, right?
We can rest assured that our laws and the public’s safety are secure, right?
slumlord
Time for the slumlords to be prosecuted before someone gets killed.
Tenements are prohibited by law. Oh wait. We don’t enforce laws.
Law? We have law?
“Dreadlocks can’t live in a tenement yard
I & I can’t live in a no tenement yard
Jah, penetrate in a tenement yard
Dreadlocks can’t live in a tenement”
Go after the Caymanian ‘landlord’.
RIP Jacob Miller