A CONTINUING dry spell in St Ann has manifested in a massive increase in bush fires for the month of April 2020 compared to the similar period the previous year.
The Jamaica Fire Brigade’s report for April, tabled at this month’s meeting of the St Ann Municipal Corporation, showed that for April 2020, there were 133 bush fires compared to 35 in April 2019, a massive increase of 280 per cent.
And it appears that bush fires are still raging as since the start of May, The Gleaner has received several reports of bush fires in St Ann.
Andrew Wildman, senior deputy superintendent, who until recently acted as officer in charge of St Ann and whose report was tabled at the meeting, told The Gleaner on Tuesday that bush fires are usually the result of human behaviour.
Further, fires must not be lit between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Meanwhile, buoyed by the increase in bush fires, genuine fire calls for April 2020 stood at 152, compared to 67 for the corresponding period in 2019, an increase of 127 per cent.
