DISPLACED BY FIRE: Possibly 100 Homeless in Blue Hills After Blaze Allegedly Set by Fugitives

Deandrea Hamilton  & Wilkie Arthur | Magnetic Media & Eagle Legal News

PROVIDENCIALES, TCI — A devastating fire in the Blue Hills community has left more than 100 residents homeless, including toddlers, infants, and a two-year-old girl who sustained burns — believed to be non-life-threatening — as they scrambled to escape the inferno on July 24. The massive blaze tore through informal housing near Miracle Close, scorching everything in its path.

The fire, allegedly set by fugitives attempting to elude police, erupted in the same area where officers were fired upon just days earlier. While authorities have denied involvement in starting the blaze, some residents remain skeptical, believing it may have been used as a tactical response to flush out the suspects.

Officials  confirm that more than 30 people spent the night in a Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) shelter. The TCI Red Cross, in a public appeal through Magnetic Media, urgently called for donations of food, clothing, and baby supplies, noting that many victims fled with only the clothes on their backs.

“The magnitude of this displacement is heartbreaking,” said the TCI Red Cross,“There are babies, toddlers, and elderly among the affected. We need the public to respond swiftly and generously.”

Eyewitness videos and images captured the frantic evacuation and aftermath, revealing the scale of destruction. Charred belongings, melted plastic, homes wiped out, vehicles scorched and the remnants of smouldering spots speak to the speed and fury of the blaze.

Despite support efforts now underway, questions loom. What went wrong? Could this have been prevented? And what protections exist for hundreds living in high-risk areas, vulnerable not just to crime—but now to fire.

Residents are also questioning whether these now displaced people are even legally living in the Turks and Caicos