The rate of fire occurrences in Saint Lucia have risen drastically in recent years while officers struggle to source the water needed to combat them.

Gone are the days when Saint Lucians could predict the weather with confidence, where the dry season saw bushfires and the wet season saw floods. Today, those boundaries are fading fast. What was once a seasonal certainty has become a year-round gamble. One day, firefighters are battling raging flames in the south; the next, roads are underwater after hours of torrential rain.

The Saint Lucia Fire Service (SLFS) has seen this shift firsthand. In an exclusive interview with the St. Lucia Times, Fire Chief Ditney Downes said the usual window for bushfires has stretched across most of the year.

Fire Chief Ditney Downes

“From a fire service point of view, what we’ve seen is a change in the traditional dry season and wet season,” he explained. “This year alone, we responded to over 1 100 bushfires. We’ve been seeing bushfires in months we never used to. Normally, our season runs from January to June, but this year, we were still fighting major bushfires in September.”

 

The number of fire occurrences annually has risen significantly. In 2024, the SLFS saw a total of 683 fires, up to October 1, with almost 70 per cent being attributed to bush and rubbish fires. The remaining fires were residential, vehicle, and electrical fires. 

 

The year before, in 2023, there were more than 100 fewer fires, though bush and rubbish fires still accounted for the majority at almost 60 per cent.

 

According to Downes, this shift has had major operational impacts. Extended dry spells mean more frequent fires — and less available water to fight them.

 

“Our main water source is from hydrants, which depend on the same mains that supply communities,” he said. “So when water is shut off in a community, the hydrants are affected too. During dry spells, it becomes a challenge to maintain a reliable water source.”

Now, the SLFS has to prepare for multiple emergencies at once, often deploying teams to manage simultaneous incidents across the island.

“We make sure our manpower and equipment [at stations] can handle at least two incidents at a time. A bushfire and, say, a vehicle accident,” Downes added. “It’s tough, but it’s necessary.”

While heat and dryness are factors, Chief Downes noted that human activity remains the leading cause of bushfires in Saint Lucia.

“Most of the major bushfires we’re seeing are deliberately set,” he said. “Some people clean their land and decide to burn, others light fires in the same hot spots every year. Areas like the Desruisseaux Gap, Cantonment, and Savannes Bay. These places are our biggest problem areas.”

He added that while more Saint Lucians are now contacting the fire department before doing controlled burns — a sign of progress he applauded — many only call for help once the fires are already out of control.

The law, Downes reminded, makes it illegal to deliberately set fires. But identifying and charging offenders remains nearly impossible.

The fire chief’s observations are echoed by Nadia Cazaubon, programmes director at WaterWays, an environmental NGO. She agrees that Saint Lucia’s once-predictable wet and dry seasons have become increasingly blurred, a symptom of broader climate instability.

“With climate change, we’re seeing reduced annual rainfall but more intense downpours when it does rain,” Cazaubon explained. “So while the total rainfall is less, it’s coming all at once which contributes to flooding.”

 

The World Bank, in a September 2025 press release, approved a new project — the Saint Lucia Urban Resilient Flood Investment Project — that aims to “reduce flood risk in selected areas and strengthen the government’s ability to manage climate-related risks.” The project, which focuses on areas like Castries, Anse La Raye and their river basins, is expected to benefit almost 67 000 Saint Lucians. According to the World Bank, flood risk is highest in Saint Lucia’s low-lying coastal zones, where nearly 60 per cent of the population live and key infrastructure like airports, the seaport and major roads are located.

She added that extreme heat, deforestation, and human carelessness such as littering in rivers and burning waste amplify these problems. Garbage dumped in waterways blocks natural drainage, worsening floods during heavy rainfall. At the same time, prolonged dry periods weaken vegetation and dry out soil, increasing fire risk.

“In my community in Soufrière, we saw trees turning brown and shedding leaves during what’s supposed to be the wet season,” she said. “That dryness creates perfect conditions for bushfires, even outside the traditional dry months.”

Cazaubon warned that these patterns are already affecting Saint Lucia’s fragile ecosystems.

“We’re seeing species loss,” she said. “When you have fires, animals flee or die. With heavy rainfall, landslides wipe out entire habitats. If that happens in an area with a rare species, we could see local extinctions.”

She added that water scarcity is another looming crisis.

“Our rivers and springs are drying up. That affects not just wildlife but our own water supply. If droughts continue, some communities could face serious water shortages.”

Both the fire chief and environmental experts agree that Saint Lucia must now plan for all-weather hazards year round, not just seasonal ones. For the SLFS, that means maintaining readiness and continuing public education. For citizens, it means rethinking habits, from how we manage land clearing to how we dispose of waste overall.

Downes said the fire service is exploring new strategies, including creating firebreaks around vulnerable areas like the Vieux Fort solar farm, which has faced repeated bushfire threats.

“We have to take proactive steps,” he said. “Climate change is not getting better. We must accept it as part of our pre-planning and prepare for it.”

Cazaubon agrees that the nation must act fast to adapt. Both through policy and personal responsibility.

“People need to understand that climate change isn’t something happening far away — it’s right here,” she said. “Our weather has changed. The seasons have changed. And if we don’t change how we live and treat our environment, the consequences will only get worse.”