On Tuesday, 21 January 2020 at 4.27 pm, the Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) were called to a well-developed tree and hedge fire near the Old Hyatt building which was then safely extinguished.

Emerging video footage of the fire prior to the arrival of CIFS shows members of the public attempting to put the fire out with buckets of water and vehicles passing dangerously close.

CIFS would like to remind residents, businesses and visitors to the Cayman Islands that they should Get Out, Stay Out and dial 911 requesting fire and rescue. This includes outside wildfires where you should move to a safe distance, stay away and dial 911.

CIFS would only recommend tackling a small undeveloped fire where safe to do so with an appropriate fire extinguisher to prevent further escalation and calling 911 to report the fire as a matter of urgency.

Tackling larger fires, with no training, the wrong equipment or wrong extinguishing agent can lead to serious injuries or a fire related fatality and should be avoided in the interest of public safety.