A small fire broke out at Providence yesterday behind the building where Coastal Hardware and a few other businesses are located in the Neverland complex.

According to the spokesperson for the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency (SFRSA), Jones Madeleine, preliminary reports indicate that the fire may have started due to an exposed or faulty wire igniting with the trash and debris behind the building.

The Minister for Internal Affairs, Errol Fonseka, paid a visit to the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency (SFRSA) headquarters on Saturday afternoon to meet with the team which responded to the ammonia leak accident aboard the Spanish fishing vessel Albacora Cuatro which resulted in the death of two of its crew members on Wednesday June 15.

Bodies of Spanish sailors removed, investigation to continue

The body of a second Spanish sailor was removed just before 4pm yesterday afternoon from the foreign fishing vessel where an ammonia leak on Wednesday afternoon caused the death of two crew members while the remaining crew were rescued by local emergency services assisted by port authorities.

The body of the first Spanish sailor was removed on Wednesday night.

A fire damaged a room in a dwelling house at St Louis early yesterday afternoon and was put out before it could spread to cause further damage.

The Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency (SFRSA) was alerted of a fire by Andy Victor a little after midday and immediately they rushed to the site. The fire remained contained within one room of the house only, burning a mattress and a bed and bursting five or so louvres. The wall partition of the room also sustained some damage.

Fortunately, no one was hurt during the incident and the fire was put out before significant damage could be done to the building. The four residents of the house are expected to remain in their home as the damage was minimal. Although several cigarettes butts were discovered in the room, the cause of the fire is still unconfirmed.

Firefighters in the country have been honoured for their devotion and commitment to save lives and several activities were organised at the Seychelles International Airport and Victoria to mark their day yesterday.

Also at noon yesterday, firefighters on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue observed a minute’s silence followed by the sounding of fire sirens for firefighters who have passed away. The sound of the siren echoed around Victoria forcing people to pause from their activities.

May 4 has been recognised in many European countries for centuries as Fire Fighters’ Day because of Saint Florian.

According to legend, Saint Florian was able to save an entire burning village in ancient Rome with just a single bucket of water. Saint Florian (Patron Saint of fire fighters) is now known as the defender of those who come in danger of fire.