(Barbados Nation) – People watched in awe, despair, disgust and a slew of other emotions as historic Sam Lord’s Castle burned on Wednesday evening.
Spectators from the surrounding area gathered to watch fire officials unsuccessfully battle the blaze which consumed the once stately building.
Shareholder, Thomas Grant, called it a “disgrace”.
“It is a disgrace to see the building left this way and now it has gone up in smoke,” he said.
Grant said most of the buildings had already been destroyed by Clico, which was in the process of acquiring the property, and the castle section was one of the few buildings left.
Divisional Officer Tyrone Trotman said one of the problems they faced was a lack of nearby fire hydrants so they had to collect water from hydrants in the surrounding area and bring it to the combined ladder platform appliance for distribution.
As the evening wore on, the fire continued to burn, when asked, Trotman said he had little hope of saving the building.
Sam Lord’s Castle was one of Barbados’ national treasures and Barbadians have expressed sadness and shock that the palatial property was destroyed.