UPDATE: Fire forces suspension of classes at St Ann’s Bay basic
ST ANN, Jamaica – A massive early morning fire forced the suspension of classes at the St Ann’s Bay Infant School on Tuesday.
Firefighters report that they responded to the blaze with three units around 4:50 am.
READ: Fire at St Ann’s Bay Basic School
Public Relations Officer for the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Emeleo Ebanks reported that there was no casualty but stated that an entire block was destroyed. The block reportedly housed three classrooms, two bathrooms and a store room.
He said the cause of the fire, as well as the estimated loss, have not been ascertained.
“We received a call at 4:50 am to the St Ann’s Bay Station that the St Ann’s Bay Basic School was on fire. We responded with three units; two from St Ann’s Bay and one from Ocho Rios. On arrival at the given location, we saw a block of the St Ann’s Bay Basic School on fire. The fire was confined to a section of the block known as brain builders. Three classrooms, two bathrooms and a store room were all impacted by the fire. As it is now, we have investigators trying to ascertain the cause of the fire and we are doing some investigations to try and determine the risk and loss associated,” said Ebanks.
In the meantime, describing the incident as unfortunate, president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, Lasonja Harrison said the incident is devastating for the school family.
“Quite an unfortunate close to another school year. Coming to the end of another school year and for such devastation to take place at the St Ann’s Bay infant, three-year-old classrooms have been gutted by fire, the resource room where the brain builder centre is was also engulfed as well as the store room and the kitchen all significantly affected,” she said highlighting that the teachers’ investments to make the institution perform efficiently have gone up in flames.
“The teachers’ personal loss in terms of their investment in their classroom space materials, the printer…bought out of the teachers’ personal resources, certainly the teachers are devastated at this time. There was a resource room, it had a smart board, and a projector; all engulfed, it is just a sad day,” she said.
The JTA president hinted at classes being done online until Friday.
