Warwick apartment was completely gutted by fire

The Cedar Hill residence which caught fire on Tuesday evening is gutted. Little remains of the apartment, which was being fixed up to be rented out at the time of the fire.

Burned beds remain outside the building, while charred appliances are strewn around the apartment. A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said a work man had been in the apartment that day. People suspect that he left something on when he left the house at the end of the day, which then caught fire. The house has visible cracks all round its structure, particularly where the wall meets the roof.

?The fire fighters said if it had been another two minutes the roof would have blown off,? the neighbour said. The woman was awoken by a loud explosion and said she rushed out and saw the building on fire. Lt. Wenda Godfrey of the Bermuda Fire Service said the damage estimates, $400,000, are high because of extensive damage to the roof and rafters. She said an investigation into the origin of the fire is ongoing.

Residents of the main house were not at home when visited the site.

Thieves have been active

Two, 30-pound rockfish were taken from a Paget guest house restaurant freezer sometime between 11 p.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Police said on Thursday.

And in a separate break-in, $350 in cash and two men?s diamond rings were stolen from a Panorama Drive, Hamilton parish home sometime between 8 a.m. and 4.15 p.m. on Tuesday, Police said.

A burglar stole approximately $300 of coins, a black Sony video camera, a grey Panasonic portable DVD player and a box of children?s DVDs from a Bluff Lane, Pembroke home sometime between March 3 and March 9 while the victim was overseas.

Inquiries into these incidents are underway, it said.

Appeal for witnesses issued

Police are appealing for witnesses after the driver of a blue Toyota Yaris left the scene after crashing on South Road, Devonshire.

The car was extensively damaged in the smash near the Devon Springs Road junction in the early hours of Wednesday.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with any information, in particular any taxi drivers or walkers who may have been in the area between 4 a.m. and 4.30 a.m. on Wednesday to contact P.c. Jason Trott at the St. George?s Police Station on 297-1122.

Construction tools a prime target of thieves

Police are warning builders to beware after a recent increase in the theft of tools from construction sites across the island.

The latest theft was from a Luke?s Pond Road, Southampton property at the weekend when a thief broke into a storage shed and stole two Skill saws, a Makita half inch drill, a Kango Hammer and a Makita hand grinder. Police are advising site managers and workers to secure tools in a secure area or locked container at the end of the day.

A Police spokesman said: ?The tools should be marked with permanent marker and the serial numbers written down and kept in a separate secure location so if the tools are stolen and later recovered they are readily identifiable.?

Pitch in on the fight against rats

The campaign to rid the Island of rats continues this weekend with a community clean up.

The Department of Health in conjunction with Keep Bermuda Beautiful and the Ministry of Works and Engineering and Housing are hosting a ?Get Rid of Rats? day today. Trash strewn around the Island is a major barrier to ending the rat problem on the Island in that it provides them with a source of food and a place to hide. Certain areas are being targeted and the public is asked to volunteer its time between nine in the morning and 12 p.m.

And Independent Senator Carol Anne Bassett said the railway trails are being used as a ?dumping ground? by Bermudians with people leaving everything from ?the kitchen sink to vehicles? along the nature trails.

?It?s unbelievable that people just won?t pick up a phone and call public works and get the stuff picked up for free,? she said. ?Like most Bermudians, I think we have one of the most beautiful countries in the world and we really need to protect it for future generations to come.?

Trash bags will be provided but volunteers are asked to bring their own gloves. Volunteers should head to the designated rally points to pick up trash bags and find out exactly where they are picking up trash. In Pembroke people can meet at St. Augustine Church on Princess Street. There are two rally points in Warwick, volunteers can meet at Amis Funeral Parlour or Warwick Academy.

There are also rally points further west on the Island, in Southampton people can meet at the Hands of Love drop-off building. In Sandy?s volunteers will congregate at Lagoon Park Preschool. The final rally point is the lay-by on Palmetto Road at Tyne?s Bay.

For more information are encouraged to call the Bermuda Government Vector Control office at 278-4991 or the KBB office at 295-5142.