Scores of Haitians were left homeless after a fire destroyed nine homes in a shantytown in southern New Providence on Friday night.
According to police, the fire ripped through the single-story wooden structures at the Haitian village in Gamble Heights off Baillou Hill Road South around 8:43 p.m.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, they met the homes fully engulfed in flames.
Director of Fire Services ASP Walter Evans told The Guardian yesterday that a total of five units responded to the blaze.
In addition to the nine destroyed homes, three nearby homes were moderately damaged by the fire, which was extinguished in less than an hour, Evans said.
"The homes were in very close proximity to one another," Evans added. "That's why the fire spread so quickly."
"When you have fires in homes like this, the chances of the fire spreading is very great," he noted.
Police said there were no injuries reported during the blaze. However, Evans said more than 15 people were displaced.
Evans said investigators are still unsure as to how the blaze started. Active police investigations continue.
He encouraged homeowners to take preventative measures to minimize the threat of fires.
He said every Bahamian home should be equipped with a portable fire extinguisher.
Evans added that smoke detectors are also very useful to have in homes.
Friday's fire was the latest of many fires in Haitian villages in the past year and a half.
On December 26, 2010 a fire ripped through the Mackey Yard shanty town on Alan Drive off Carmichael, destroying approximately 100 homes and displacing up to 300 people.
On March 3, 2011, a fire at the Firetrail Road shantytown destroyed dozens of shacks, also leaving hundreds of squatters homeless.
The fire razed rows of shacks that were grouped together on the property.
The government is rebuilding both areas in its effort to reclaim Crown land and eliminate shantytowns completely across the island.

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