Fire destroys house in Forêt Noire |10 October 2023

Firemen battling the blaze (Photo: Patrick Joubert)

A major fire erupted in a house in Forêt Noire yesterday afternoon, leading to severe damage to the premises, according to the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency.

The agency’s acting public relations officer, Terence Arnephy, said the incident was reported at 3.21pm prompting an immediate response from the brigade, which dispatched three fire trucks to the scene.

Upon their arrival, firefighters were met with a dire situation.

“When we arrived, the situation was really grave. The entire house was ablaze, and firefighters swiftly took action to control the fire,” Mr Arnephy expressed.

However, the operation faced several challenges, notably accessing water sources.

The closest fire hydrant proved to be some distance away from the scene, and connect it to the water bowser proved to be a time-consuming task, causing a delay in their efforts, according to Mr Arnephy.

The Public Utilities Corporation played a crucial role by assisting in cutting off the electricity to prevent potential electrical hazards as well as providing support to unblock the fire hydrants.

Mr Arnephy stressed that the primary setback was water availability, as the water bowser was running low on supply.

Although no occupants of the house was badly hurt, Mr Arnephy stated that some needed oxygen masks due to smoke inhalation and some had to be transported to the hospital due to shock.

“Nobody was significantly affected by the fire,” he assured, as the occupants had adequate time to safely evacuate.

The SFRSA is yet to determine the cause of the fire, and an investigation is under way.

Sunny Esparon