At around 5 am today (January 30th) officers attached to the Grand Turk Police Station responded to a fire report on Front Street.
Upon arrival at the scene, police officers alongside their firefighting colleagues saw a structure engulfed in flames. All efforts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful.
The building was later identified as a historical home constructed during the Salt Industry.
Ag. ASP Michael Francois from the Grand Turk Division “A” Station in a brief statement said: “This latest fire-setting was an attack on our history. The devastation caused is a tragic loss to Grand Turk’s heritage. Last year, ( December 18th) we were able to save the upstairs of the TIMCO building, which is also located along Front Street. The cowardly acts of fire-setting being perpetrated should be condemned. We owe it to our future generations to preserve our history”.
Additionally, ag ASP Francois stated that Chapter 3.11 of the Malicious Injuries to Property Ordinance Section 6 -Setting Fire to any Public Building makes it an offence to maliciously set fire and upon conviction be liable to imprisonment for life.
The public is being advised to notify the closest police station or to contact Crime Stoppers and give any information regarding this fire or any illegal activity anonymously.
Please note, that Crime Stoppers calls are answered in Miami and in Houston by Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers which is a non-profit and not a police agency.
The calls are anonymous and cannot be traced in the United States or the TCI.