Linden Mayor, Sharma Solomon has clarified that the massive blaze at the Waaldijk Sawmill in Amelia’s Ward, Region 10, was not deliberately set. Speaking during a People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) press conference on Friday, Solomon also clarified that the fire is unrelated to the recent protest action in Linden over the killing of two young men by the police.
Solomon was keen to note that the fire appears to have resulted from environmental factors rather than arson.
He said, “I am aware of an environmental situation that existed prior to the fire erupting at the sawmill at Amelia’s Ward.”
Authorities on Friday disclosed that firefighters have managed to contain the blaze by digging trenches around the affected zone, limiting the threat to surrounding residential and industrial properties.
The Mayor explained that the Council had previously issued notices to sawmill operators over improper waste disposal practices. “The waste disposal is occurring in a gully that extends maybe just over 200 feet in depth that has now turned into a pit, in terms of the inferno that is occurring with the wood material,” Solomon noted.
He said that it was related to him by fire officials, that the accumulated wood waste likely self-ignited due to heat and temperature buildup. “And to date, the persons who are in the vicinity have recognized that it was not deliberate, but more environmental,” he added.
Solomon added, “This is a situation that over decades of materials were being deposited on each other, and it is now being engulfed, and it is now threatening to consume not only the pit, but surrounding vegetation and homestead within the vicinity.” However, he noted that it remains a serious concern.
The fire comes amid heightened tensions in the community following the recent deaths of two Linden residents 23-year-old Ronaldo Peters, who was shot by a police officer, and 32-year-old Keon Fogenay, also known as “Dan”, who was killed during protest action.
Solomon acknowledged the uneasy calm in the town as residents await updates, and the results of independent investigation. “The situation on the ground is one where we have a level of where persons are waiting to see what comes out of the next few days…” he said.
He added, “I know there is a level of calm among persons who are interested to know where this situation will unfold, more so with the commitments given by the President in terms of an investigation.”
To this end, he stressed the need for transparency in the probe. Solomon criticized the initial police statement in relation to Peters’ death, which he said was contradicted by video evidence. Solomon added that this has led to a lack of trust in the police’s ability to conduct a fair investigation. He explained, “Those sort of behaviors would have left a sense of uncertainty within the community, in terms of the sincerity of the police to conduct an impartial investigation, and as such, the demands were made for an independent investigation.”
