There’s still no official word on what caused a fire that destroyed a Wickhams Cay building on April 8, but Chief Fire Officer Zebalon McLean said investigations have narrowed the possibilities down to three.
Mr. McClean said he couldn’t comment on the possible causes, but he did say that one of the major unknowns in the investigation involves a faulty electrical component in the building, which housed the Margaritaville Italiano restaurant. He said it’s still being decided whether the component in question started the fire or simply added to the blaze once it was already in progress.
He added that he expects to announce the fire’s cause soon, but that his department has to coordinate with the police and insurance agencies before he’s able to do so.
Firefighters arrived just two minutes after receiving the first report of the fire at 3:01 a.m., but the blaze was well in progress and had already totalled about 75 percent of the building, he said.
The chief added that flames were highest on the northeast side of the building, where the blaze is thought to have started.
No boats were seriously damaged, nor were there any injuries from the incident – unlike a fire in a nearby area 10 years earlier, which sunk a 10-ton catamaran and sent four firefighters to Peebles Hospital to be treated for smoke- and heat-related injuries, according to Beacon archives.
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