Local NewsNews Rum scare by Barbados Today 16/01/2019 written by Barbados Today 16/01/2019 2 min read A+A- Reset The initial start of the blaze. Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 423 Officials from the Barbados Fire Service are still trying to determine the cause of a fire, which injured two men when it engulfed a 300,000-gallon alcohol tank at the distillery of one of Barbados’ largest producers of rum. The initial start of the blaze. Just after 2 o’clock this afternoon, ambulance workers, police officers, and over two dozen fire officers all rushed to the premises of Mount Gay Distillery’s Ltd. in Mount Gay, St Lucy in an attempt to minimize any injury or damage. By 5 p.m, the blaze was under control, but the threat of danger remained. “The roof of the tank has been ruptured, allowing the flames to escape,” said Deputy Chief Fire Officer Henderson Patrick, who added that fire officers were applying alcohol resistant foam to the tank, which contained approximately 150,000 gallons of alcohol at the time of the blaze. Fire oficers were able to bring the blaze under control in a matter of hours but continued to work towards defusing the dangerous situation. He warned that if the fire continued, the integrity of the tank could be breached, which could result in additional challenges. Nevertheless, he said given the nature of the fire, it would continue to burn for some time. “There is enough satisfaction in the operations that we are conducting because the tank itself is contained within a bund wall [intended to prevent the escape of potentially polluting substances] that is really designed to hold the contents of the tank in the event that it is ruptured.” You Might Be Interested In Crystal Beckles-Holder, 2nd runner up in regional competition GUYANA: Body of child found after gold mine collapses Barbadians asked to help with return tickets for Haitians However, he said in the case of a violent rupture, other buildings could be put at risk. Two employees of Mount Gay were injured in the blaze, but Patrick indicated that based on his understanding, those injuries were not serious. Senior manager at the St Lucy-based distillery, Moya Lambert, told Barbados TODAY the company would not be issuing a statement just yet. As it related to the cause of the fire, the Deputy Fire Chief said it would take time to gather all of the pertinent information. He, however, indicated that two people were working near the tank at the time, “and that may have contributed to the incident.” Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like Huge interest in Rally Barbados 08/02/2025 Mayers helps Barishal to BPL title 08/02/2025 Fisheries Bill set to reform industry with finance, training boost 08/02/2025