Firefighters injured by electric shock as they battle St Andrew blaze

Two firefighters who were on Monday injured by an electric shock during a bush fire on Skyline Drive in Jacks Hill, St Andrew have now been released from hospital.

Head of the Kingston and St Andrew Fire Department Superintendent Julian Davis-Buckle said the men somehow came in contact with electrical wires and had to be rushed to hospital.

They were on one of several teams in the corporate area that spent hours fighting bush fires on Monday.

"Monday, it’s like everything came in at once," said Davis-Buckle, referring to the number of calls received by units of the Kingston and St Andrew Fire Department.

The Stony Hill, Trench Town, York Park, Half-Way Tree and Rollington Town units were all responding to bush fires on Monday, she said.

In Jacks Hill, a Jamaica Defence Force helicopter had to be called in to help as the wind made it even more challenging for the firefighters.

Meanwhile, in the Six Miles area, a bush fire is believed to have ignited a transmission pole contributing to a power outage that hit the Corporate Area.

The Jamaica Public Service Company says investigations are continuing into that incident.

Meanwhile, in Temple Hall, telecommunications technicians have been working to repair systems that were damaged during a separate bush fire there, also on Monday.

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