Neville Paul, Gleaner Writer

BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth:

A massive fire destroyed more than 300 acres of farmland in St Elizabeth, yesterday, leaving millions of dollars in damage.

The fire, which started about 1 p.m., was brought under control some time after 5 p.m. by fire units from Alpart, Junction and Black River, backed by a number of private water trucks.

A farmer, Lewis Simpson, said it took the firefighters more than four hours to bring the blaze under control. He said the fire scorched domestic crops and other vegetation in the districts of Cheapside, Chocolate Hole and Nembhard Town.

Simpson said he lost approximately 1.5 acres of scallion, valued at approximately $2 million. He said farmers in the area lost scallion, thyme, tomatoes and other crops.

Severe drought

He said it would be some time before the affected farmers were able to get back into production, as the area was experiencing a severe drought. He said the farmers were making a special appeal to Minister of Agriculture Dr Christopher Tufton to assist them in getting back into production.

In the meantime, several representatives from Alumina Partners of Jamaica, including its general manager, Alberto Frabini, visited the area to have a first-hand view of the damage.

Up to late yesterday evening, firefighters and police were carrying out investigations to determine the cause of the bush fire.