No explanation has emerged for the fire that destroyed Nevis’ treasury building one week ago. Officials are still working to determine the cause of the fire, which was reported to the Charlestown Fire Department at 2 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17. Premier Hon. Vance Amory has formally requested the federal government solicit the help of the US’ Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The interior of the NIA’s Department of Treasury was completely destroyed by the flames. The attached VAT Office and Department of Inland Revenue were also damaged by the blaze and the water used to extinguish it. Acting Fire Chief Everette O’Garro said the flames quickly spread throughout the building, which was full of paper and other combustible material. “There was nothing much we could do in respect to saving the documents because the fire was already in an advanced stage at that time,”he said. “On arrival, it was in a full burning state, so flames were visible on the inside, protruding through openings of the building.”Because the damage was so extensive, O’Garro said the fire department could not determine where or how the fire started. No other buildings were damaged during the blaze, despite the fact that the treasury is located in a dense area of downtown Charlestown near the Cotton Ginnery Mall and the market. O’Garro declined to comment on any connection between this fire and two recent fires in St. Kitts that were declared arsons. The Jan. 5 blazes destroyed the Venezuelan Embassy and damaged the offices of the Organization of American States. The police took two people into custody in connection with the crimes but later released them without filing charges. O’Garro said the prevalence of building fires has been unusual. “It’s not normal for us to have that amount of significant fires in such a short space of time,”he said. Premier Vance Amory issued a statement at the scene as the rubble continued to smolder. “As head of government and as a Nevisian, I feel very devastated,”he said. “I think it is sad that we have seen this kind of destruction. We don’t know the cause, but the effect of this is costing us in terms of man hours, in terms of services provided, in terms of ‘how do we replace what we’ve lost?’ So there’s a very significant cost factor.”Employees at the Office of Inland Revenue managed to save some equipment, O’Garro said. Friday morning, they gathered outside the Ministry of Finance to clean soot from the servers and computers that were recovered. The servers have been relocated, and the NIA is back online. Amory asked for assistance in rebuilding. “We have to find funding from some source,”he said. “We are hoping we will have some funding support from the federal government or from friendly donors who might be able to help us to reconstruct this building.”In a public statement, Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas offered assistance to the NIA. “Premier Amory and the people of Nevis can rest assured that the federal government will do all in its power to expedite a return to normalcy where the functioning of the Nevis Treasury is concerned,”he said. “And I know that the people of Nevis will continue to be the calm and focused people that they always have been.”
