In the face of a pending forensic audit into the award of multi-million dollar contracts by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), fire of an unknown origin yesterday broke out in the sensitive record department, destroying volumes of important files.
The extent of the damage was undetermined up to press time and the approximately 1,000 staff members at the WASA St Joseph head office have been advised not to report to work today because the structural integrity of the building had to be first determined.
The fire will not affect WASA’s ability to distribute water to citizens across the country.
WASA’s communications manager Daniel Plenty, who hustled back to the scene at the St Joseph headquarters after news broke about the fire, told reporters last night: “We have no fear of losing records, we have a backup, we have soft copies and we have hard copies.”
Asked about the possibility that the fire could have been intentionally set due to pending probe into the utility, Plenty said: “It is not fair to associate this with the upcoming audit.”
About 60 workers who were still on the compound when the fire started were evacuated safely, Plenty said. He said the workers responded immediately after the alarm was sounded but noted it was too early to say if it was deliberately set.
Staff members appeared to be in shock as they looked on as fire officers battled the blaze on the second floor of the four-storey building.
“We are still trying to come to terms with this,” said one employee.
Plenty said the fire began around 4.45 pm in Block B, Building 9, which houses the Health, Safety and Equipment Department, the Corporate Communications Department and Records Department.
Other staff members described the building as the main building at the Farm Road complex and one witness said every other floor of the building had been affected either by smoke or water damage.
Staff said documents relating to confidential contracts, including purchases from suppliers and records of the Management Information System, were also stored in the Records Department.
Residents who gathered on the Farm Road sidewalk said they believed the fire was deliberately set to prevent investigators from finding evidence of “bobol.”
“We hear WASA burning. When we come outside and watch, we saw the whole of the second floor in flames,” said one resident.
One staff member at the scene said the entire registry, which had documents relating to all contractors, was destroyed. He said when the auditors came “they will only get ashes.”
Shortly after the fire broke out, photos of the smoke and later fire blazing on the second floor of the building began circulating on social media. Eyewitnesses said fire officers, using hydraulic lifts, were able to douse the flames by 7 pm.
The flames were so intense it shattered the glass on the second floor but the gaping holes gave fire officers a vantage point to extinguish the blaze.
At least seven fire tenders responded from the Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain headquarters and were assisted by units from the San Juan station. Four WASA tankers were on hand to provide an additional supply of water.