Early Morning Blaze Destroys 17 Vehicles
A pre-dawn fire in Lower Estate, Tortola, gutted 17 vehicles at a transportation business Tuesday, including 14 safari buses used for cruise ship tours. Owner Michael Herbert praised a resident with a water truck for helping to douse the flames and criticized the nearby fire station for lacking adequate equipment; police have not yet released a cause.
An early-morning fire in Lower Estate on Tortola destroyed 17 vehicles at a transportation yard used for cruise ship tours and school runs, owner Michael Herbert said Tuesday. Herbert, who has run the business for more than 30 years, said the fleet loss included 14 safari buses used for cruise passenger tours.
He told reporters he was alerted to the blaze around 3:15 a.m. and that a resident with a water truck helped to bring the flames under control, but not before the vehicles were completely destroyed. The fire also charred a nearby telephone pole, knocking out internet service for residents in the area.
Herbert said he counted the losses and expressed deep frustration at the scale of the damage, describing the scene as “100 times worse” than what he experienced during Hurricane Irma in 2017. “With Irma, the structure was there and you had something to start back with, but with this here there’s nothing to start back with basically,” he said, while adding gratitude that no lives were lost: “I’m going to give thanks.
The Almighty — he’s not going to give me more than I can deal with.” Herbert also criticised the equipment status at a nearby fire station, saying crews arrived but lacked effective firefighting apparatus. “The only thing I saw that the fire truck had, was like a little hose that I have here in my yard,” he said. “It’s so amazing how we have money put into a fire station, but we don’t have a firetruck.” He pointed out the yard is less than a minute from the station and warned of the risks if the blaze had reached surrounding apartments.
The business provides transportation for cruise tours and school services to St. Georges, Seventh-day Adventist, Elmore Stoutt High, Enis Adams and Ivan Dawson primary schools. Herbert said the loss is a major setback but vowed to rebuild: “It’s a setback, but we’ll be back.” Police attended the scene Tuesday; at the time of publication they had not released a statement on the fire’s cause.
The incident raises immediate concerns for residents and officials about emergency preparedness and equipment availability on Tortola, as well as short-term impacts on tour operations and student transport. Residents and parents are advised to monitor updates from the affected schools and tour operators as contingency plans are arranged, and to expect possible disruptions to cruise-tour schedules while the operator works to replace vehicles and coordinate services.
Primary source: Virgin Islands Daily News (Website)