Firefighters yesterday responded to a blaze at Bahamas Power and Light’s (BPL) Blue Hills Station. 

According to Chief Superintendent Walter Evans, officer in charge of Fire Services, officers received information about the fire shortly before 1 p.m.

Eight minutes later, he said, they met thick, black smoke billowing from an Aggreko generator. 

“Fire officers immediately set up operation and began an aggressive attack. They were able to extinguish the fire,” Chief Superintendent Evans said.

“There were several generators that were in a nearby facility, but none of them received any fore damages. So, we’re grateful for that.”

He said an investigation has since been launched to determine the cause of this blaze. 

Chief Superintendent added that the generator has suffered significant damage.  However, he cannot confirm whether it was totally destroyed.

As residents continue to cope with increased power outages across the capital, Chief Superintendent Evans advised the public to exercise extreme caution when operating generators. 

“We want to say to persons that they need to ensure the generators are not to be fueled while they’re hot. Persons ought to ensure that persons who would be conducting the wiring are trained and certified,” he said.

“We also want to ensure that persons do not have generators stored on the inside of facilities like in their bedrooms where carbon monoxide, which is a deadly gas emitted from fossil fuels, is present.”

He also said there have been several generator-related fires in the past, but not to the extent where there is major damage.

“We want to ensure that life is preserved, particularly with the load shedding exercises over the next few days or months ahead,” he explained. 

BPL issued a statement confirming that the fire reportedly damaged a 1-megawatt rental generator owned and operated by Aggreko.

The company added that it does not anticipate that the loss of this rental unit will significantly impact the need for load shedding.