MONGOOSE ON FIRE Current Event #5 By: Jonah R

St. John The little 10 mile island of St. John is located in the United State Virgin Islands (U.S.V.I) along with St. Croix and St. Thomas. This island is where me and the rest of my family of 15 spends our winter breaks. My Mom and her sisters and brothers have been coming to this island for over 40 years. Almost 12 years ago my Grandparents built a house there and retired there part time.

Mongoose Junction Mongoose Junction is a shopping center named after the squirrel/ferret looking animal that scurries around the island. The shopping center is one of the very few on the island and is home to some of my favorite places such as the Tap Room. This is where me and my cousins go for the best root beer around.

The Fire In Mongoose Junction on January 23 rd Friday a fire was reported at a day spa in the shopping center. It was started due to a fault in a dryer that was set while the owner left to come back for the opening at 11:00. The fire caused the gutting of the 2 nd floor and flooded the 1st floor. The island contracted fire service Zulu dispatched 3 units along with Romeo Company from the other side of the island. As many would say “the fire was on island time” as it moved slowly through the 2 nd floor. The new St. John Administrator Camille Paris was in the thick of the fire directing a steady shuttle of water trucks to keep the firefighters supplied as the flames and smoke continued to grow. An hour after crews arrived the fire exploded bring a large fire ball down the stairs that lead to the second floor. After a long day the fire was defeated but left stores covered in black ash and gutted.

What’s next Hopefully they can restore the great stores to what they used to be with a little help from insurance and support from the community to make the shopping complex what it used to be.

THE END