Page 11 - HOH

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local Tuesday 6 sepTember 2022
Fire at local recycling center: Experiences of a scary day

It was like reliving a trauma.
That’s how Jessica Franken,
executive at La Cabana,
said about the fire that
broke at Daltra, a recycling
center, at the end of Au-
gust. Jessica was not near
Barcadera, where the fire
took place, but her sibling
was, at the Arugas offices.
And for Jessica, the idea of
gas and fire brought back
traumatic memories that
were simply too much.

She found herself calling
911 and did not give up
until they answered the
phone. “The phone rang
about eleven times and
when they finally answered,
I said that they must evacu-
ate everyone.”
Franken was thinking about
her sibling locked up in their
office at Arugas – the gas
company, right next to Dal-
tra – also reliving the trag-
edy of 1989. Back then, a
tragedy of gas explosion
at La Cabana took the life was then I realized that it The fire at the end of August smoke concentration, I cal Institute San Nicolas)
of one of her siblings’ col- was serious.” scared a lot of people on made the decision to call and ambulance personnel.
leagues as well as others, Besaril and her colleagues Aruba. Emotions ran high for evacuation.” Hermans “We had a trailer for that
at the place where Jessica did not evacuate imme- because even though we was thankful that the as- process.” That means that
was working. diately. “We were worried are used to having fires at sociation of general practi- they had to keep an eye of
Since that day, Franken is about what was happen- the dump in Parkietenbos, tioners, HAVA, on their own who is fighting the fire, for
nervous about gas and its ing. For our job but also the one in the area of Freez- asked everyone in the area how long, and they would
dangers. neighborhood, but after- one, so close to other vital to leave their homes. “The call them back to the trail-
wards, I went home.” industries is a reality that hits population also respond- er to rest, cool their bodies,
The other moment that is hard. Everyone was aware ed.” hydrate and for those who
seared in her memory is And Sandra felt that she of the danger should the needed it, receive oxygen.
the explosion at Montaña could go home peacefully fire expand. A call for evacuation is Everyone had to rest 40
Apartments, where a 20 thanks to her own APEX not done carelessly, be- minutes in order to con-
gallon gas tank exploded colleagues, who did every- And even though Rino Her- cause people are asked to tinue, this way, they could
leaving victims, including thing possible to make the mans – disaster manage- leave their homes and that work for 24 hours fighting
dead, behind. area safe and then helped ment adviser, from Bureau means that the Fire Depart- the fire.
the Fire Department to fight Rampen Bestrijding Aruba ment must go into action
With her sibling in the offic- the fire. (BRA) – was ready to tackle to secure the entire neigh- And it was a challenge,
es of Arugas, without being Our reporter understood the crisis, “this was the first borhood. On that Tuesday, because the temperature
able to leave despite the that all equipment avail- time in my career that I was a total of 48 police officers 100 meters away from the
fire at the neighboring lot, able was used to domi- scared”. And for Hermans had to focus their work on fire reached 120 degrees
Jessica experienced crip- nate the fire, something to admit this is unusual, for the neighborhood to guar- Celsius, on a very hot day
pling fear that something that worked. “More than a person who doesn’t allow antee safety. without wind. “It wasn’t un-
more serious could hap- anything I’m proud of my emotions to dominate. til the sun went down that
pen. She was so glad that colleagues and to be part Despite the seriousness of it became a little fresher. I
after two hours of calling of this team”, Besaril ex- The reason for this was the the situation, Hermans says have been through a lot in
911, her sibling called her plained. combination of smoke con- that neither doctors nor the my life, but this was really
to say that police came centration, the tempera- local hospital reported cas- something tough. My read-
knocking on the door and Even though initially Jessica ture of 38 degrees, and the es of people who suffered ing glasses melted, to illus-
ordered everyone to evac- Franken had her thoughts fact that there was no wind. from breathing problems. trate how hot it was. I don’t
uate the premises. about the fact that man- “At one point the wind fell But in the group of people usually get scared, but this
agement of Arugas did to zero knots.” And when who were working hard was abnormal.”
Sandra Besaril, on the other not let the workers leave as they received notification to fight the fire, there was
hand, was calm at APEX, soon as the fire grew, she that the wind was coming moments that action was And this is the reason Rino
which is also close to Daltra is relieved that everything back, but would bring the needed, in some cases, to Hermans is looking back
in Barcadera. She didn’t re- ended well. Even more, she smoke in the direction of prevent problems. “It was with pride for the work that
alize nothing about the fire was glad that after her sib- the neighborhood of Sime- according to our rehabili- everyone did. They man-
until her colleagues came ling wrote a letter with sug- on Antonio, he decided to tation procedures, to give aged to keep the fire at
to tell everyone in the of- gestions, this was positively act. “We don’t know how oxygen to the firemen who Daltra and prevent it from
fice. “I went outside to the accepted by manage- many people have Covid- were working.” There is a spreading to APEX and
parking lot when I noticed ment. lungs and other breath- rehabilitation procedure, Arugas.q
the fire was growing fast. It ing problems. Seeing the together with IMSAN (Medi-