Barbados Archives Department Fire: Division of Culture Outlines Historical Asset Protection Measures

Four days after fire gutted Block D of the country’s Archives Department, the Division of Culture outlined steps to ensure the protection of the island’s historical assets.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with Responsibility for Culture, Senator Shantal Munro-Knight said yesterday that several measures were in place long before the lightning strike sparked the blaze that burnt several books in the building on Monday night at the Lazaretto, Black Rock, St Michael.

“I really want to assure Barbadians that we have been and will continue to do everything that is necessary in order to make sure that we protect these assets. The fact that we had a lightning strike, a one in a thousand event in the midst of when we were doing this was unfortunate,” she said.

Munro-Knight spoke yesterday during a media briefing at the Barbados Water Authority headquarters, Pine, St Michael.

Up to Thursday, efforts were made by the Barbados Fire Service, the Reclaiming Our Atlantic Destiny (R.O.A.D.) Project and a group of volunteers to engage in combustion suppression and recover salvageable records.

Eight bound volumes of material as well as other rolled-up documents were retrieved and many more are currently being treated for smoke and water damage.

The minister said several records were already moved and several more were being transferred to an off-site satellite building in Newton.