TAG fire confirmed as arson, says Chief Fire Officer

The fire that gutted approximately 20 vehicles at Tortola Auto Group (TAG) on the morning of Tuesday, October 15, has been confirmed as an act of arson, according to Chief Fire Officer Zebalon McLean.

Speaking to BVI News on Wednesday, Chief McLean explained that the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Services completed their investigation and determined that the fire was not accidental.

“We were not able to ascertain what was used to start the fire,” McLean stated. “If we had been able to get some samples and then match that to the colour of the plate, then we would have been able to.” He added that by the time the fire department arrived on the scene, the substance used to ignite the fire had already burned away.

The investigation focused on fire patterns and the intensity of the flames, which ruled out natural causes. “What we do is we look at the fire pattern and we look at the intensity of the flames, then of course, we have to look at precedent,” McLean explained.