1 day ago
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Senior Reporter
Three people are assisting police with inquiries into a suspected arson attack that destroyed cables at the Telecommunication Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) work centre in Laventille on Saturday.
According to a police report, construction workers hired to clear the cable yard at TSTT’s Eastern Main Road compound were attacked at about 5.15 pm by people described as Beetham residents, who threw missiles and lit Molotov cocktails onto the compound.
Workers extinguished the initial fires with fire extinguishers, but more lit cocktails were thrown over the wall, setting some of the cables alight.
Fire officers from the San Juan, Wrightson Road, Four Roads and Chaguaramas stations responded and extinguished the blaze. It was declared under control at 7.35 am on Sunday.
In a statement on Sunday, TSTT said no one was injured and the cause of the fire and full extent of the damage remained under investigation.
A separate statement from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said preliminary estimates put the value of the destroyed insulated copper cables at more than $20 million.
“This figure is subject to formal confirmation and the full extent of the damage is yet to be ascertained,” the statement said.
The burnt remains were being monitored to prevent re-ignition, the TTPS added.
When Guardian Media visited the compound yesterday morning, smoke was still visible in the area. Technicians, workmen and fire officers were on site as inquiries continued. Police and armed officers from Amalgamated Security Services stood guard near the Eastern Main Road entrance.
Randall Marshall, who lives across the road from the compound, said he was away when the fire started but received a phone call alerting him to the incident.
He said cable theft had been an ongoing problem at the compound and suggested the attack might have been an attempt to stop workers from removing the cables.
“They thiefing cable, coming through the wall, all kind of thing. It’s a while it happening,” he said.
Marshall said he had sometimes heard gunshots at night but was unsure whether they were fired by security officers, police or people attempting to steal cables.
“They’ve been thiefing cable long time,” he said.
A resident who asked not to be named said workmen began moving the cables on Friday and were not challenged. The problems began, the resident said, when a truck driver was harassed by several Beetham residents.
“I wasn’t around whole day, but when I got back in at around 6.30 pm, I came back and saw they were pelting them,” the resident said. “I find they should have called the police long time before it come to this.”
Speaking to Guardian Media at a Divali celebration on Saturday evening, Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath said TSTT staff had informed him of the fire shortly before 5 pm. The copper at the compound was valued at “tens of millions” of dollars, he said, adding that the estimated damage was expected to be known by Sunday.
Referring to an incident months earlier in which suspected copper thieves were held at a compound, Padarath said the Government was aware of the scale of the theft problem. He said stolen items were taken to the south-western coast and shipped abroad for sale.
He also raised the possibility that people within TSTT were working with criminals.
“Security has already been notified. We have our own theory in terms of possible involvement of those who may be inside the company, outside the company, service providers, et cetera, but all of those things are suspicions right now that I know are receiving the attention of the authorities,” he said.
Padarath said the thefts might involve both people within the company and outsiders.
Police are continuing their inquiries and are seeking CCTV footage from surrounding areas.
Guardian Media sent Padarath questions via WhatsApp about the extent of the damage and whether security at the compound would be increased, but received no response by press time.
Former Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales said an investigation was necessary, but urged the ministry and TSTT to consider strengthening security.
“I further call upon TSTT’s management and the Minister of Public Utilities to immediately conduct a comprehensive security assessment of all of TSTT’s facilities nationwide, implementing urgent measures to ensure that the safety and well-being of employees are not compromised,” he said.
“The safety of workers must remain paramount and every effort must be made to prevent any re-occurrence of such grave incident.”
Laventille West MP Kareem Marcelle, whose constituency includes the compound, said the incident was still under investigation but condemned the alleged actions.
“If in fact this is the case, I wish from the outset to record my disappointment and condemnation of this disturbing act,” he said.
“I encourage everyone with information concerning this incident to come forward and say something to the TTPS. This behaviour must be condemned by all right-thinking citizens.”
Residents uneasy over fire’s proximity to Angostura
Deanna Hyndman-Borris, who lives across the road from the TSTT compound, said she saw smoke when the fire started but left her home shortly afterwards.
She said the fire’s proximity to the Angostura compound was particularly unsettling because alcohol stored at the facility could have fuelled the blaze if it had spread.
“I was very scared because Angostura is rum, wine, all kind of thing there, so that had me scared,” she said.
“I went out and left home, but I saw the pictures coming to my daughter, I got more scared because I know my family was at home, so I was kind of shaky with that.”
Hyndman-Borris said she had lived in the area all her life and had never seen a fire so close to the Angostura facility.
Marshall also said he was worried the flames could spread to the distillery. He stayed awake into the early morning to monitor the situation.
“We couldn’t sleep, because we know what going on over there and it was real heat blowing into the gallery,” he said.
“I didn’t go and sleep until after two o’clock this morning, because knowing what was going on across so, we wanted to make sure it died down because we didn’t know what would have happened. It wasn’t a nice feeling at all knowing that you living right there and what could go wrong.”
He added that smoke from the fire was particularly difficult for relatives at his home.
In a statement on Sunday, Angostura commended the Fire Service, which remained at the scene throughout Saturday evening. Employees at the neighbouring compound also worked to prevent the blaze from spreading, the company said.
“We particularly acknowledge Industrial Rubber Products (IRP) for providing firefighting foam, which supported efforts to bring the blaze under control,” the statement said.
“We also commend Angostura’s employees and leadership who remained on site throughout the emergency, actively assisting and supporting the response efforts. Their dedication, professionalism and responsiveness were recognised and commended by senior officers of the TTFS.”
The company said the incident highlighted the importance of partnership, preparedness and collective responsibility.
The Fire Services Association said in a statement that a fire officer who responded to the blaze was taken to hospital with superficial facial injuries and smoke inhalation.
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