Station Commander Marc Le Cornu, who was one of the first on the scene, said that the priority had been to stop the blaze from spreading.
‘When we arrived the main central section was well alight, and the strong winds and driving rain hampered the firefighting,’ he said.
‘Our main concern was to contain the fire to the main central section. With the intensity of the fire and the radiant heat there was a good chance that it would spread to some of the other buildings.
‘The crews have worked really well in horrible conditions to keep it under control.’
Four fire engines were needed to tackle the blaze, which Station Commander Le Cornu said was one of the largest that the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service had dealt with in recent years. He said that the work had been complicated by the weather, the fact that the roof of the main building was unstable, and by the presence of asbestos.
‘It is a derelict building without power, so the chances are there is human involvement, either deliberate or accidental but it is impossible to tell at this stage,’ he said, adding that the charred shell of the main building would almost certainly have to be pulled down.
Last year the States decided by a narrow margin not to buy the site from multi-millionaire owner Trevor Hemmings, who has Planning permission to build luxury homes on the headland. Campaigners and St Ouen residents are making a last-minute attempt to stop the controversial development from going ahead.
Plémont Blaze Investigation Begins from Bailiwick Express on Vimeo.
