JDF urges patience as probe begins into Up Park Camp barracks fire

The barracks building that was razed on Friday at Up Park Camp, the headquarters of the Jamaican military, was flagged by soldiers as a serious fire hazard, sources have revealed.

However, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has cautioned against a rush to form conclusions about the cause of the blaze, citing the internal and external investigations that are already underway.

“Please allow time for the investigations to be completed and the answers to your questions to become clearer,” Colonel General Staff Dameon Creary said yesterday.

The external probe is being led by the Jamaica Fire Brigade, he said.

“Until these investigations have been concluded, we are unable to speak to the cause of the fire or to the full extent of the damage,” Creary said.

He was responding to questions from The Sunday Gleaner that pointed out that soldiers had raised safety concerns about the barrack building.

Army sources say the fire started shortly before 7 p.m. inside the “dilapidated wooden” structure that houses soldiers between the ranks of sergeant to warrant officer.

Describing the state of the building, one source said it was like a “tinder box waiting on a match to strike”.

“In other words, it’s a wooden structure and it was so dilapidated, it was a serious fire hazard,” said the source.

“Not only were the living conditions over there bad, there were [electrical] wires all over the place.”

Over the years, several soldiers raised concerns about the situation, but nothing was done, the source claimed.

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com