VIDEO: Fire in Galisbay, French St. Martin – UPDATED

Philipsburg — This video of a rooftop fire was initially broadcasted via Whatsapp claiming that a helicopter crashed had happened in Galisbay, Saint Martin. However, the report was quickly determined to be ‘fake news’.

Nevertheless, with the appearance of a second video of this fire incident that apparently even reached all the way in Curacao and Bonaire, reporters asked StMaartenNews.com for further clarification into what actually happened.

Apparently, this fire occurred this morning. It is an old sports auditorium building the French government was using for government services in Galisbay that got damaged during hurricane Irma last year. The roof is made of metal and workers were busy doing welding work on the roof this morning and most likely the welding sparks were the cause of the rooftop fire.

StMaartenNews.com has yet to receive any official statement from the French authorities about this fire. However, it can be categorically stated that it was definitely not a helicopter crash.

Update: According to a Facebook Follower, workers were working on the roof of the building which is – and has also been confirmed by another Facebook Follower to be – a sportscomplex center. Apparently, welders were cutting the metal and it caught fire.

Citizen Report: “The fire in Galisbay was indeed caused by a spark. No helicopter was involved. Apperently they were welding the steel, because they are planning to destroy the building and a spark ignited a material on the roof and caused the fire. It was the old sports auditorium that also housed the drivers license and car registration office. It’s not longer there since Irma. I know because I worked there.” – Citizen Reporter J.F.