Divi Carina Bay Resort on St. Croix remains closed and without electricity following a September 30 fire at the property’s power plant, with its 51 hotel guests relocated to other hotels, the V.I. Casino Control Commission said Tuesday. The casino resumed operations later on the day of the fire, while the resort remains closed during an inspection and assessment period.
The resort continues to pay its employees during the closure, which the commission said is required by insurance adjusters, government agencies and the generator company while inspections and assessments take place. Management has also formulated plans for reopening the resort, according to the commission.
One of the power plant’s three generators caught fire at approximately 10:20 a.m. on September 30, according to the account provided to the commission. The V.I. Fire Department responded and quickly extinguished the blaze. The affected generator was lost, and the remaining two generators, along with the structure housing them, require inspection for damage caused by the fire’s intense heat.
The casino was able to resume operations by late afternoon after the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources promptly approved a pending application for a backup generator. The resort, however, remained without electricity.
The commission issued its update October 6 following an October 5 visit to the property to discuss the circumstances surrounding the fire and plans for safely reopening the resort. Acting Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Carolyn P. Hermon-Percell, Licensing and Compliance Officer Ruthlin A. Hurtault, and a representative of the V.I. Department of Justice’s Division of Gaming Enforcement met with casino General Manager Anton Kuipers and resort General Manager Cusa Holloway Christian. The two managers provided additional information supplementing their initial reports to the commission.
Hermon-Percell expressed thanks that no one was injured in the fire. “It was important for the Commission to see first-hand the intensive property damage caused by the fire and to meet with Divi management to discuss its plans for safely restoring full operations,” she said. She also commended the government agencies, vendors and industry partners assisting Divi during the emergency while prioritizing the safety of guests and staff.
“Both the Divi casino and the Divi resort play pivotal roles in the local economy,” Hermon-Percell said. “As Divi faces this challenge to its operations, the Commission, as the licensing and regulatory authority for the casino gambling industry of the U.S. Virgin Islands, will fulfill its statutory mandates.”
