A rash of fires on St. Thomas have strained the resources of the V.I. Fire Service, with the latest blaze Monday night destroying the bedroom of a Savan home.
The fire in the house at No. 1B Pile Strade was caused by electrical failure, Fire Services officials said at the scene.
Firefighters were called around 6 p.m. and received reports that a blaze had engulfed the bedroom of the house in Savan. When they arrived at the scene, they found that an electric panel box had been doused by rain in downtown Charlotte Amalie Monday evening. The wet panel box caused the fire, which was contained to the bedroom. No injuries were reported.
Fire Chief Merwin Potter said Monday night that "rain apparently came down into a panel and caused a fire."
Potter and other fire officials said the demand for firefighting services at three blazes in five days has tested their limited resources.
"I am trying to meet with the governor to discuss adding more manpower strength to the agency," Potter said. "This is the shift that caught the fire in Hospital Ground and the equipment that we used Monday morning for several hours at Beltjen Road."
Three fires on St. Thomas have been reported since last Thursday. An abandoned building was destroyed in Hospital Ground, the Maria Thompson building was engulfed by fire on Monday morning and a home in Savan was damaged in Monday night's fire.
There have been seven fires reported in the territory in the last three weeks, officials said.
