Fire Services investigators are looking into the cause of three suspicious brush fires that merged into one Tuesday and Wednesday, blackening hundreds of acres on the outskirts of Christiansted.
St. Croix Fire Chief Roberto Santos said it is more than likely an arsonist set the blazes that burned more than 600 acres in Estates Boetzberg, Lowry Hill and Marienhoj. No injuries or damage to buildings were reported, Santos said.
"There is an investigation going on," he said. "We know it started in different areas."
The fires began at about 4 p.m. Tuesday and were contained at about 5 a.m. Wednesday by 12 to 15 firefighters from the Richmond station, Santos said.
"All in all, it was a good operation," he said.
Dry weather over the last month has turned the St. Croix countryside into a tinderbox. The situation, however, isn’t unusual. Almost a year ago, more than a dozen brush fires burned almost 2,000 acres on St. Croix within a one week span. Although dozens of homes were threatened in those blazes, none were damaged and no injuries were reported.
Fire officials, meanwhile, said that as the dry season wears on residents should cut grass around their homes as low as possible and keep nearby trees and shrubs trimmed and pruned. And if there is a fire in the area, windows should be kept shut so embers don’t get blown into the house.