GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Philip Davis flew into Grand Bahama on Saturday, March 29, 2025 to get a first-hand view of the areas affected by bushfire over the past few days, and reveal the Government’s coordinated response to the devastation.
Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Hon. Chester Cooper, Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey and other government officials, the Prime Minister toured the areas and distributed food to residents of those communities.
While giving an update on the areas affected by the bush fires, which include the Regency Park, Hawksbill, West Sunrise and Sunset Subdivisions, Polymers yard and the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) grounds, Prime Minister Davis said those areas had been fully extinguished, there had been no loss of life and officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) were actively patrolling those communities and providing fire prevention guidance to residents.
A large bush fire on Friday threatened homes and property in the Regency Park and North Bahamia areas and extensively damaged a single-storey residential home and quickly spread west due to high winds.
“The fire eventually reached the Polymers International yard, then spread to the police compound on Peel Street where two dilapidated, unoccupied buildings were destroyed. Flames and flying embers also reached the West Sunrise and Hawksbill areas. An unoccupied structure on Abaco Drive in Hawksbill was extensively damaged,” Prime Minister Davis announced at a press conference at the Ministry for Grand Bahama.
Prime Minister Davis further revealed that the RBPF mobilized additional resources from the Grand Bahama International Airport Crash and Rescue Department, Freeport Container Port, BORCO and three volunteer non-government organizations (NGO)s.
Heavy-duty equipment was used to cut a fire buffer between West Sunrise Highway and Bahamia as a preventative measure and helped to avoid further spread of the blaze.
Additionally, Prime Minister Davis announced that he had authorized the deployment of 30 trained officers from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to Grand Bahama to provide logistical and manpower support.
Fire teams were also managing three smoldering hotspots contained in the area of the Warren Levarity Highway, Queen’s Highway near Bahamian Brewery and the North Bahamia Subdivision.
“The Government has arranged hotel accommodations for individuals displaced or impacted by the smoke and has commenced the distribution of over 1,000 hot meals to assist affected residents,” Prime Minister Davis said.
The Prime Minister added that fire units from the Grand Bahama Airport Crash and Rescue Department, Freeport Container Port, and the Grand Bahama Shipyard remain on standby to assist as needed.
A preliminary damage assessment has revealed that in addition to the home in Regency Park, a derelict house in the Hawksbill Subdivision was extensively damaged; two unoccupied police buildings on Peel Street were totally destroyed; a Freeport Ship Services storage warehouse was extensively damaged; a warehouse in the Civic Industrial Area sustained fire damage sustained and there was fire damage to the Industrial debris on the Polymers property on Queen’s Highway.
Prime Minister Davis thanked Minister Moxey and her team for providing support and coordinating local resources, the RBPF, the various agencies and NGOs who have supported the response effort and the young volunteers from the National Youth Guard who stepped forward in service to their community.
“Let me be clear: The Government is making every available resource and form of aid accessible,” the prime minister said. “As a country with dry terrain and open forested areas, this is wildfire season for us in The Bahamas. These conditions pose serious risks, but what matters is how we respond — and I am proud of the teamwork and coordination I have seen across agencies.
“This is not a political competition. This is not about the PLP or the FNM. This is not the time for politicians to get in the way of professionals doing their job. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We are here to provide resources and solutions —not to stage photo ops,” he said.
