At the beginning of the afternoon, a fire started in Dumbéa on the border of RT1 and Zac Panda. 27 firefighters intervened with the help of civil security. A school and a gendarmerie annex were threatened. In Lifou, a garage was engulfed in flames around 1 p.m.
The fire broke out around 1:45 p.m. at the Dumbéa town hall located next to Parc Fayard. In all, around fifteen hectares were burned. THEcole primaire John Higginson and a gendarmerie annex were threatened. There were reinforcements from civil security. 27 firefighters are on the ground. 5 trucks, and a command vehicle The fire is currently at the limit of the RT1 and Zac Panda. “We are in the process of controlling this fire”says Dumbéa fire captain, Bruno Chitussi.
From 4:30 p.m., there was “a small lull”. The captain of the Dumbéa fire brigade is optimistic. “We have resources at the head of the fire, on the left and right flank, the rear of the fire is located at the Dumbéa river, we have no fear on that side. If it has to evolve, it will be towards full Zac Panda, that is to say it will touch pastures. We could curb it quickly because it will be accessible with land means.”
The water bombing helicopter intervened around 3 p.m. and “around thirty drops” according to the major First Gilbert. As it draws from the Dumbéa river, it makes “rotations of barely two minutes”, according to Bruno Chitussi. The device can therefore “increase its throughput and frequencies”.
Traffic is disrupted at Fayard Park. “We invite people to take the Jules Renard promenade or the expressway. It is simply a detour”advises Bruno Chitussi. The city of Dumbéa writes in a press release that “RT1 will reopen under normal conditions from 6 p.m.”.
A garage located in Waihmenë in Luecila was completely destroyed by a fire which broke out between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. this Wednesday, November 20. Nothing remains of the building, apart from charred beams and metal sheets twisted by the flames. Cars being repaired parked in the garage were also set ablaze.
•
©Clarisse Xowie Watue / NC la 1ère
The flames spread to the shed of another nearby garage. Car batteries stored in a container were destroyed along with drums of motor oil, new tires and a 4X4. The main building was spared as well as the vehicles parked inside.
Two large fire trucks from the town of Lifou intervened, reinforced by a fire engine from the airport. As a safety measure, electricity in the area was temporarily cut off during the intervention. No injuries were reported. The owner of the garage and his wife, deeply shocked, were taken to the Wé dispensary. An investigation is underway to determine the origin of the fire.
