A devastating out-of-control fire broke out in the central Paul’s Avenue district shortly after midnight on Thursday, leaving a 78-year-old former St. Vincent and the Grenadines national football player George “Fatpants” Forbes completely homeless, after the blaze gutted his entire property and caused significant damage to multiple nearby commercial and community structures, including the broadcast studios of popular local station Boom FM 106.8.
Forbes, a retired athlete who first stepped onto the national football pitch more than half a century ago, shared his harrowing account of escaping the inferno. The veteran footballer told reporters he had returned home from a round of routine hospital tests around 1 p.m. that day. After a brief visit from a friend, he fell asleep around 7 p.m., woke a few hours later for a short walk to a nearby area, then returned to bed to rest. It was not until after midnight that he was jolted awake by the acrid stench of smoke seeping through his home.
“When I saw smoke pouring from the bedroom, I knew I couldn’t go back inside to salvage any of my belongings — I’m an elderly man with health issues,” Forbes recounted. “I just managed to crawl out of the building, then made my way straight to the local police station to report the fire.” The former player escaped without physical injury, but lost every personal possession he owned in the blaze. He expressed gratitude to his relatives, who immediately stepped up to provide him with temporary accommodation after the disaster.
Forbes began his celebrated football career in 1968 at age 21, starting out with Sion Hill-based side Somerset. He went on to play for his hometown team Avenues, then later joined the Eagles squad, before earning his first call-up to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines national team, where he represented his country between 1971 and 1973.
Along with Forbes’ home, the blaze completely destroyed an adjacent structure that housed the High Voltage Mas tent, a facility that previously operated as a local preschool. The connected building that hosts Jujube Bookstore, Boom FM 106.8’s broadcast studios and IK TV also suffered major damage from the fire and smoke.
In an official statement posted to its social media channels shortly after the incident, Boom FM announced that the station would suspend all on-air broadcasting for the coming days while teams assess and repair the damage to its facilities. “Our team is working tirelessly to fully restore our broadcast signal as quickly as possible, and we thank our audience for your continued patience and support through this challenging time,” the statement read.