ROSEAU, Dominica -- A massive fire that broke out in the community of Silver Lake in Dominica on Monday night has left at least 18 families homeless.
Minister for tourism and urban renewal, Senator Robert Tonge, said that 35 to 60 people were impacted by the fire, two long houses burnt and between 15 to 16 units destroyed, CBN4 reported.
An official report as to the cause of the fire has not yet been released. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit visited Silver Lake on Tuesday morning and told the media that government will move swiftly to resettle those displaced by the fire.
“We are meeting now in the Cabinet to take certain actions in response to the fire and to provide assistance to the families that have been affected,” Skerrit said. From Monday night government officials and some ministers were on site to provide support. The Office of Disaster Management (ODM), which is the agency responsible for disaster management, is coordinating government's response.
There are six apartments currently under construction and instructions have been given for the construction to resume as early as Wednesday morning. A contract will reportedly be issued on Wednesday to a contractor to commence immediate construction of another set of apartments where the long house was.
Heavy equipment was on site on Tuesday morning doing some clearing to minimize hazards and to prepare for the construction of the additional apartments in Silver Lake.
On Wednesday morning the government will provide the head of each affected household with EC$1,000 to allow them to be independent and to be able to shop for some of the basic things that they will require.
Following this $1,000, the families will be provided with an income support allowance similar to what was provided the residents of Petite Savanne following Tropical Storm Erika pending construction of the new apartments, which is hoped to be completed in “record time”.
