PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Oct 26, CMC -Police say three people are assisting their investigations into the multi-million dollar (one TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) blaze at a building of the state-owned Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) in Beetham on the outskirts of the capital last Saturday.
The police said that the fire destroyed telecommunications cables, including highly combustible insulated copper cable, stored within the compound. It said preliminary estimates indicate that insulated copper cable valued at over TT$20 million had been destroyed and that “the full extent of the damage is yet to be assessed”.
The police said that one firefighter sustained superficial burns and smoke inhalation and was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital for treatment.
The police said they conducted operations in Beetham, Laventille and surrounding areas and that several locations, vehicles and persons were searched, and officers engaged residents to gather information on suspicious activity in the area.
Three persons are now assisting with enquiries into the matter and crime scene investigators have retrieved CCTV footage from the surrounding area.
“We take this incident extremely seriously. Any deliberate act that threatens lives, damages critical infrastructure or places emergency responders at risk, is unacceptable. We will pursue all available investigative avenues to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident and bring those responsible to justice,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police ‘Operations’ Suzette Martin.
She said that the matter is receiving the necessary investigative and operational attention and that anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the vicinity of the TSTT compound on Saturday evening, or who has information which may assist the investigation, is asked to contact the police.
Meanwhile, Public Utilities Minister, Barry Padarath, says investigators are considering the possibility that both insiders and outsiders were involved in the fire.
“I am told that it might be a collaboration of both,” Padarath said, adding that investigators were examining possible involvement by people within and outside the company, including service providers.
“We have our own theory in terms of possible involvement of those who may be inside of the company, outside of the company, service providers, etc. But all of those things are suspicions right now that I know are receiving the attention of the authorities,” he added
CMC/af/ir2026