Stampedes and fire at Powda Fete

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The much anticipated Powda wet fete was marred by a fire, fights and stampedes.

The event, dubbed as the ultimate cooler fete, got off to a good start with entertaining DJ sessions and a number of headline artistes gracing the stage with energetic performances, but it progressed into a chaotic turn of events.

Scores of party goers, maybe well over 100 people, who did not have tickets, rushed towards the vicinity and broke down the barricades even though the location – Vaucluse Raceway in St Thomas – had several private security officers stationed at various stations, some with security dogs, and a police presence.

There were multiple stampedes and on one occasion, a vendor’s stall was dismantled and the business immediately had to cease operations.

Fights also took away from the otherwise well put together event that was full of vibes, fun, paint and powder. The fights had people scampering to get away from the commotion.

Just when things seemed to be cooling down, a fire broke out from a mobile canteen.

The Barbados Fire Service reported that they received an emergency call around 3:58 a.m. on Sunday and a tender from the nearby Arch Hall station responded with five fire officers. However, there was a long line of traffic along Dukes Road preventing the officers from entering the raceway from that entrance, and the tender had to use the alternate route along Hangman Hill to access the area. The blaze was brought under control around 4:46 a.m.

Powda was advertised to start at 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 1 and end at 6 a.m. the next day. However, the event concluded after 4 a.m. (SZB)

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