Kingstown St. Vincent May 15, 2026 – The government of St Vincent and the Grenadines is preparing to strengthen the country’s fire response capabilities following what officials describe as an increase in commercial, residential and bush fires across the country.
Speaking on NBC Radio, Minister of National Security St Clair Leacock said the nation’s fire service currently presents a “special challenge” and requires urgent expansion in personnel, equipment and operational readiness.
“We’ve been having more than our fair share of fires in St Vincent within recent times,” Leacock said.
The minister pointed to a series of recent incidents, including commercial fires, house fires and large bush fires, some of which he said had threatened nearby properties and businesses.
He referenced a fire in Paul’s Avenue which reportedly began as a domestic blaze before spreading to a commercial building associated with businessman Bing Joseph and radio station Boom 106.9 FM.
Leacock also cited a major bush fire over the last weekend in the King’s Hill Garden area, describing it as being “almost the size of a football field”.
“Fortunately, the road and the drains sort of provided a buffer that limited the fire from escaping,” he said.
According to the minister, the recent incidents exposed weaknesses in the current fire response system, particularly outside Kingstown.
“At the moment, after Kingstown the next fire appliance is at Arnos Vale, and after Arnos Vale the next one is Georgetown. Now look at the gap,” he said.
Leacock said the mountainous terrain of St Vincent makes firefighting particularly difficult and requires more specialised vehicles capable of accessing narrow roads and steep interior communities.
“You probably need something that could go ahead and take care of things like a jeep-type small unit who could take the hills and the windings and narrows until the fire truck gets there,” he explained.
The minister also said authorities are examining the possible use of additional water tenders to support fire trucks during prolonged firefighting operations.
“So the fire tender don’t have to discharge the initial sets of water, leave to go to the next source of water to come back,” he said.
As part of broader security sector reforms, Leacock disclosed that the next round of recruitment within the police service will include a stronger focus on boosting staffing levels in the fire service and specialised emergency response units.