Firefighters were called to the scene of a structural fire that occurred around 5 p.m. yesterday on Cumberland Street, just north of Government House.

According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force Director of Fire Services Walter Evans, firefighters arrived on the scene three minutes after receiving a report of the fire and they met flames coming from the top of a two-storey concrete structure.

Evans said two fire apparatuses responded to the scene and upon arrival they immediately engaged in “active and aggressive fire attack.”

“They were able to bring this fire under control in a very, very short space of time,” he said. “Thereafter, the officers were able to extinguish this fire.”

The cause of the blaze is unknown, but Evans assured that the building was not powered by electricity.

According to Evans, it is believed that vagrants occupied the building and police will be seeking to find the owners of the building to advise them concerning the building’s security.

Evans explained that buildings in the downtown area, like the one that burned, are a part of the country’s history and when they burn the country loses a part of its history.

“We want to ensure as best as possible these buildings do not burn. We want to preserve these buildings. We want to preserve our history,” he said.

“We want all Bahamians to assist us from a national level in terms of helping to preserve what we have.”

The director of fire services expressed that the Towne Hotel, which is in the downtown area, was threatened yesterday by of the structural fire because of its proximity.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire.