Police probe suspicious fires in west Grand Bahama

Authorities in West Grand Bahama are conducting active investigations into two separate residential fires that occurred on Wednesday, both suspected to be criminally motivated incidents that left multiple residents homeless. The first blaze erupted approximately at 3:00 AM in Hepburn Town, Eight Mile Rock, followed by a second destructive fire around 10:00 PM that completely devastated an eight-room structure in West End. Superintendent Nicholas Johnson confirmed that fortunately no fatalities resulted from either incident, though police are treating both cases as potential arson. Survivor Okino Kareem Burrows recounted waking to discover flames emerging from an unoccupied bedroom in the Hepburn Town residence. Despite attempting to contain the fire, the inferno rapidly consumed the entire structure. ‘I have nothing—no documents, no clothes. Everything burned,’ Burrows emotionally stated during a televised ZNS interview, asserting his belief that someone intentionally ignited a mattress to start the fire. The tragedy has left Burrows, who works aboard a fishing vessel, without possessions or critical documentation. His grandmother, Enid, who raised him as her own son, expressed profound grief during a Tribune interview, noting that divine protection had spared his life as he had departed to sea following the incident. Burrows has publicly appealed for community support and building materials to facilitate reconstruction of his destroyed home. Investigators continue to examine both fire scenes for evidence while displaced residents face the challenging process of rebuilding their lives.