Joint press release from the State and the Community of Saint-Martin / Fire at the Geminga shipyard

The Saint-Martin firefighters intervened last night to control a fire which broke out in a 200m² hangar on the Geminga shipyard in Sandy Ground.

The hangar was completely destroyed and a nearby boat damaged. Hydrocarbon reserves were protected by firefighters to avoid the risk of explosion.

Oil drums stored in the hangar were affected by the fire causing engine oil to spill into the Simpson Bay lagoon. Precautions have been taken to contain this pollution and prevent it from getting worse. A procedure to assess this pollution is triggered in order to assess the level of seriousness and, if necessary, implement proportionate measures.

The fire was contained at 5:00 a.m., however firefighters remained on site to monitor the site.

Prefect Vincent BERTON visited the scene of the fire this morning. He assured the business manager that the State would carefully monitor the consequences of the disaster on the activity of his company and would study potentially available aid measures.

President Louis MUSSINGTON and Prefect Vincent BERTON would like to salute the responsiveness and commitment of the Saint-Martin firefighters who fought for a good part of the night against this large-scale fire and prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the construction site.