A destructive blaze that broke out in the barracks section of Jamaica’s historic Up Park Camp military installation on Friday evening has been fully brought under control and extinguished, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has confirmed in an official statement.
The emergency was first reported at approximately 7:41 pm, according to details released by the JDF. In addition to the JDF’s own internal Fire Unit, five regional fire brigades from across the Kingston metropolitan area and surrounding parishes—including Rollington Town, Half Way Tree, York Park, Trench Town, and Spanish Town Fire Stations—were dispatched to the scene immediately after the alarm was raised.
First responders worked in close coordination across agencies to contain the spread of the fire, preventing it from extending to other structures on the large Up Park Camp base. After sustained combined efforts, emergency crews successfully fully extinguished the blaze.
As of the JDF’s latest update, the root cause of the fire has not yet been identified. Military officials noted that a formal, thorough investigation into the incident will not begin until safety inspectors from relevant government agencies clear the damaged area for entry, ruling out hazards like unstable structure and residual hotspots.
In the release, the JDF extended its gratitude to all participating fire crews for their rapid mobilization and effective collaborative work that limited the damage from the incident. The military force also pledged to share additional updates with the public as more details about the cause and extent of damage emerge through the investigation process.