The Virgin Islands Fire Emergency and Medical Services responded to a fire at philanthropist Donald Sussman’s residence on St. John Wednesday, the agency announced.
At approximately 7:08 p.m., the Zulu Company of the Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services received a call to go to Sussman’s residence in the Great Cruz Bay area. The initial response involved two units – a pumper and a tanker, with a team of six firefighters who quickly started to put out the fire, according to the press release.
Given the intensity of the fire, Romeo Company requested additional support. This led to the arrival of an extra pumper unit, a tanker, and an ambulance unit at the scene, along with six more firefighters to assist in the firefighting efforts, the press release stated.
Recognizing the need for a more substantial water supply, Water Hauler B&C Transport was called to the scene to provide additional resources, the release stated.
This swift coordination allowed firefighters to manage and extinguish the fire effectively, it said.
Under the leadership of Lt. Doug Walters, who served as the Incident Commander, the fire was brought under control within 14 minutes. All hot spots were completely extinguished within 35 minutes. The firefighting efforts involved two tanker units, two pumper units, one water hauler, 12 on-duty firefighters, and one off-duty firefighter, according to the release.
The Arson and Investigation Team arrived shortly after the fire was contained, and an investigation into its cause is currently underway, it said.
