A fire broke out at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company’s (JUTC) Rockfort depot in East Kingston on Tuesday afternoon, leaving two dozen buses charred.
The buses were parked at the facility when the fire began shortly after 3:00 p.m. Firefighters from Rollington Town, York Park, and Trench Town fire stations were dispatched to contain the blaze. Crews from the four fire trucks worked quickly to bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to other areas of the depot.
Shortly after 4:00 p.m., a firefighter on the scene, speaking with Jamaica Observer, confirmed that most of the fire had been extinguished and that cooling operations were underway to ensure there were no flare-ups. “We extinguished most of the blaze and the cooling-down operation is in progress,” the firefighter said. He added that investigations had begun to determine what caused the fire.
Authorities confirmed that 24 buses were destroyed, but no workers or members of the public were harmed, as the buses involved were not in active service at the time of the fire.
According to information shared with Observer Online, the buses destroyed in the blaze were more than 15 years old. These vehicles were described as derelict and were not part of JUTC’s active fleet.
Despite the significant visual impact of the fire, JUTC officials later sought to reassure the public that the incident did not disrupt the company’s day-to-day operations. Although representatives at the depot declined to speak with reporters immediately after the fire, the company released an official statement later Tuesday evening.
JUTC confirmed in the statement that there were no recorded injuries and emphasised that the fire did not impact any buses currently in service. The company also stated that there was no damage to its active rolling stock, stores, or critical operational facilities at the Rockfort location.
