"Smoking materials" behind dino park blaze

Monday 09 September 2019

"Smoking materials" were the most likely cause of the large-scale blaze at Tamba Park last week, an investigation has concluded.

The news came in a short statement released this morning by the Fire Service, who described the fire as "accidental".

The blaze at the family attraction, which sent thick plumes of smoke that could be seen from across the island into the sky, happened on Tuesday.

It was the third time in two years that the park had suffered a fire after dinosaur dental work and a ‘mystery arsonist’ caused two separate blazes months apart in 2017.

Pictured: Smoke from the blaze could be seen for miles. (Facebook/Lauren Trachy)

Following Tuesday's inferno, owner Jonathan Ruff took to social media to put a stop to speculation that it was an "insurance job", telling followers of the Tamba Park page: "Accidents happen and it's happened to me 3 times now yes unbelievable! trust me I am gutted it causes a lot of stress and upset for me and my family, but sh*t happens and you have to move on and deal with it which is exactly what I will do."

In another post, he heaped praise on the Emergency Services for their help in putting out the blaze and ensuring the safety of others, noting that there was fortunately "minimal damage" and "no injuries caused" as a result of the fire.

An investigation was subsequently launched by the Fire Service. This morning, they announced that it had concluded, explaining in a short statement: "The most probable cause of this accidental fire is discarded smoking materials"