Frederiksted

Cane Field Fires

May 28-29, 2023

Raising Cane Farm Causes Property Damage and Health Concerns for Neighbors

May 28, 2023 View from Dorsch Beach. Source: Facebook Dizon

With unregulated amounts of glyphosate, Roundup-soaked sugarcane waste burned all day and night Sunday in Frederiksted. The cane fields of Raising Cane, also known as Prosperity Farm, caught fire and continued to burn for more than twenty-four hours. Although the cane itself burned out quickly, the bagasse (cane waste) and brush piles strategically placed at the edges of the property are still smoldering. Prosperity Farm itself had a good safe burn zone around their office, maintenance buildings, and residential dwellings and may have escaped damage. However, several dozen residential neighbors are still experiencing fallout from the burning crush and bagasse mounds against their fences.

Smoke damage caused by the fires can have serious effects on human health and property. In the case of the Prosperity neighborhood, homes have suffered property damage that includes ash and soot on roofs, in cisterns, smoke damage to all interior furnishings, walls, and ceilings, and heat damage to landscaping and fruit trees. Smoke and soot can penetrate deep into a home's structure, causing long-term damage and health issues. Inhaling harmful smoke can inflame the lungs and airway, leading to respiratory failure, while smoke damage can cause long-term health effects such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer. Cleaning up this smoke damage will take the residents of Prosperity many weeks and will take thousands of gallons of water during a continuing dry spell.

According to environmental experts, the black smoke released during the fire at Prosperity Farm is not typical of burning cane fields. The color suggests a pollutant was burned, possibly the black plastic polypropylene irrigation lines with toxic chemicals being released. The resulting ash continues to be carried by the wind into nearby homes, posing a significant health risk to residents. The lack of natural barriers or protective measures in place to contain the ash, soil, and chemical residues is a significant environmental concern. The runoff of these materials into nearby waterways and the ocean poses a serious risk of watershed and groundwater contamination. It is imperative that preventative measures be implemented immediately to mitigate this risk before the onset of the next rains.

This incident follows a history of issues between Apfel’s sugarcane farm and his neighbors. Beginning in Fall 2019, Apfel has moved brush around the farm property without Earth Change permits. No silt fences were constructed, and houses downwind of the farm were subjected to a daily dusting from heavy equipment moving brush and debris feet from their fence line. Neighbors of the farm pleaded with farm owner, Robert Apfel, to keep a fire break between the farm and private homes. When confronted, Apfel shared his long-term goals of creating compost from the bagasse and brush and avoided pleas to move the brush to a place that gave neighboring homes more protection. Apfel refused to hear his neighbors’ requests to protect their homes.

Despite complaints from neighbors to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the safety concerns of constant earth changing, the massive brush piles on Prosperity Farm were not addressed. Agricultural land laws in the US Virgin Islands are dated and do not regulate this type of farming practice.

As a result, the safety risks posed by Apfel’s farm practices were not addressed and the cane field fires of Memorial Day weekend were not prevented. This incident highlights the need for updated agricultural land laws that consider the safety and well-being of all members of the community, not just the interests of industrial farms.

This is the same farm where on August 8, 2022, over 300 residents stood at a Town Hall, firm in their stance that a rum distillery didn’t belong on Prosperity Farm or on any VI agricultural land. With over 1000 petition signatures collected, the community successfully reversed a change in Territory law and building permits that were illegally obtained without public notice.

Concerned citizens showed up in droves at that Town Hall not just in support of revoking and repealing permits, but because they felt powerless against Apfel's farm practices. The community wanted this new neighbor to consider that his decisions affect the people, the environment, and the resources beyond his own land. However, it is clear from the incidents of Memorial Day Weekend 2023 that Apfel did not hear the people speak.

At the root of the problem is a system of agricultural rules and guidelines that was built for small family farms, not industrial agriculture-businesses like this one. Because of this, Apfel is able to capitalize on infrastructure weaknesses for financial benefit with no regard to his neighbors or the people, the culture, the history, the future, and the environment of our beautiful Virgin Islands.

Special Thanks To Response Teams

Thank you to Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services and other response agencies for their quick response and diligence to continue extinguishing hotspots and maintaining the perimeter security.