THERE are no guarantees that Islanders displaced by Saturday’s fatal explosion in Pier Road will be home by Christmas, the police chief has said.
At a press conference, Robin Smith told reporters that while he would like to get the 42 displaced Islanders back to their homes for the festive period, he could not be sure when they would return, as their safety was his primary concern.
Mr Smith said: ‘Getting people home is an active part of our agenda but I cannot give any guarantees about that because there is a whole host of different things, including the safety of the buildings [to be considered].’
He added: ‘We have got some private effects from those places on behalf of the displaced people, and we will do all we can to get Islanders back in their home, but of course, as you’ll understand, only when it is safe to do so.’
It was also announced at the conference that the number of emergency responders at the Haut du Mont site is being wound down as the operation moves from a recovery phase to an investigation into what caused the fatal blast.
While the number of firefighters and paramedics is being scaled back – with the ninth body recovered on Thursday morning expected to be the last – 48 specialists are supporting the States police with victim identification and finding out what went wrong.
In addition, 25 full-time detectives have begun to interview people as a part of an investigation.
The working assumption is that it was a gas explosion, on the basis that blasts of Saturday’s ferocity normally are. However, nothing has yet been proven.
Mr Smith told the conference that the senior officer leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey, had already spoken to gas supplier Island Energy.
The specialists coming to the Island to support Det Supt Fossey and her team include three experts from the National Crime Agency: a fire and explosives expert, a gas and structural expert and an archaeologist.
Mr Smith said that 15 people would be arriving on Sunday to help identify victims and support the investigation.
He added: ‘We have nearly reached the end of the recovery phase of our response to this major incident and we have progressed much further than we could have even expected just a few days ago.
‘Over the last five days – and it is remarkable to think it is just five days – my colleagues across the three services have worked tirelessly, expending remarkable effort in what has been very, very cold temperatures – wind, cold, even snow – to find the nine members of our community.
‘It is a testament to the determination and the professionalism of Jersey emergency services, as well as the incredible support that we have received from the UK.’
Mr Smith, chief fire officer Paul Brown and chief ambulance officer Peter Gavey thanked the many services, forces and agencies from the UK who had provided help since Saturday.
Mr Smith urged Islanders to be patient as the investigation sought to establish the cause of the explosion.
‘The investigation will be long and complex. It will take weeks. Indeed, it will take months.
‘I fully appreciate that family and friends of the victims, and our wider community as a whole, will want to know and understand how this tragic event occurred. We will get to that stage, I promise, but it will take time.
‘I now ask for a degree of patience as we begin to undertake a detailed and meticulous professional investigation which includes the identification, and the inquests that the families affected truly deserve.’
Mr Brown added: ‘Now the direct role of the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service will begin to wind down as the move to the investigatory phase gathers pace.
‘We will support in any way we can the investigation led by the States of Jersey Police with openness and transparency and the relentless drive for the truth through facts.
‘That is what the families of those we have lost deserve. That is what they will receive.’
