Tobago bush fires rising
Tobago bush fires rising
07 March 2010
published by www.trinidadexpress.com
Trinidad/Tobago — Bush fires in Tobago have crossed the 200 mark, an increase from last years tally of 119 for the same period.
Acting Fire Station Officer David Thomas said officers have been fighting 12 to 15 fires a day, and it was getting difficult to replenish appliances.
Its costing quite a lot to replenish our tanks, to maintain our vehicles, and given what WASA (Water and Sewerage Authority) has been saying over the past months or so, we are finding it a little more difficult to replenish our water tanks, Thomas said.
He appealed to members of the public to desist from lighting fires haphazardly and help the Fire Services reduce its use of water so it can be used for domestic use.
In terms of the water that is being utilised, I can safely say that with 100 fires, on an average, you would use two to three thousand litres of water on every call, Thomas said.
Anyone caught maliciously lighting fires can face a charge of $1,000 and six months imprisonment. Fire wardens have been deployed to Tobago to help manage the situation.
