Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Major fire cripples operations at Jamaican bauxite plant

Major fire cripples operations at Jamaican bauxite plant

Operations at bauxite outfit Jamalco in Hayes, Clarendon, will today “be at a standstill” following a “major fire” that took a cross-parish effort, which lasted well over six hours, of seven units from the Jamaica Fire Brigade and 61 fire personnel to contain the blaze.
According to public relations officer for the brigade, Emeleo Ebanks, the fire reportedly began sometime after 3:00 pm. He was, however, unable to confirm or dismiss reports that a flange reportedly blew on an oil line, resulting in the fire.

In addressing reports that staff had been injured in the blaze, Ebanks told the Jamaica Observer close to press time last night that no such information had been received.

“I can’t confirm anything about how it started because the fire is still going on. We presently have seven fire units and approximately 61 firefighters on scene. The fire is now contained and we are continuing the firefight,” Ebanks told the Observer.

Responding to sentiments that the Jamaica Fire Brigade team might not have been equipped to deal with a fire of that nature because it is reliant on using water, he said, “When we get to different aspects of the fire then we will treat with whatever extinguishing medium is required. As it is right now, we are using water.”

As for an initial assessment of the damage, Ebanks said that would not be forthcoming in the short term.

“It definitely is a major fire. An initial assessment of the damage will not be for tonight, I can assure you,” he told the Observer.

Donna Marie Brooks, corporate services manager for Jamalco, speaking with the Observer earlier yesterday evening, said the fire had up to that point been contained to the plants' powerhouse.

“The powerhouse is that area of the plant that supplies all the power to the facility. Everything is going to be shut down for now until it’s back up,” she said, noting that the plant will be at a standstill for “a little while” because of the blaze.

“We are going to be down for a little… I suspect. It’s a major fire so it will impact business,” Brooks pointed out.

She said the fire occurred during what was a normal workday for individuals manning the company’s production area.

“We are a 24-hour operation so the production staff would be there, but not the administrative staff.

The production staff is 24-hour over different shifts, so people would have been at work in the powerhouse, but everybody made it out safely, so we have no injuries, no casualties,” she told the Observer.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×