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There are no guarantees that people displaced as a result of the explosion at Pier Road will be able to return to their homes before Christmas, the Police Chief has said.
Around 40 islanders are staying at Le Marais following the blast that collapsed a block of flats on the Haut du Mont estate, and seriously damaged the two adjacent buildings, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Asked whether they could expect to return before the festive period at a press conference alongside other emergency services heads this afternoon, Robin Smith said that the matter had been discussed during a meeting this morning.
He said it was an "active part of our agenda" that remained "on our minds every day", but that he was unable to "give any guarantees" for a "whole host" of reasons – chiefly, the "safety of the buildings".
Video: This afternoon's press conference.
Mr Smith assured, however, that displaced islanders had been able to gather their "personal effects".
"We will do all that we can to get islanders back in their homes, but, as you understand, only when it's safe to do so," Mr Smith commented.
It was also announced at the conference that the number of emergency responders at the Haut du Mont site will be wound down as the operation moves from a recovery phase to an investigation into what caused the fatal blast.
While the number of firefighters and paramedics is being scaled back, with the ninth body recovered on Thursday morning expected to be the last, 48 specialists are supporting local police with victim identification and finding out what went wrong.
In addition, 25 full-time detectives have begun to interview people as a part of an investigation.
The working assumption is that it was a gas explosion, on the basis that blasts of Saturday’s ferocity normally are. However, nothing has yet been proven.
Mr Smith told the conference that the senior officer leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey, had already spoken to gas supplier Island Energy.
The specialists coming to the island to support Det Supt Fossey and her team include three experts from the National Crime Agency: a fire and explosives expert, a gas and structural expert, and an archaeologist.
Mr Smith said that 15 people would be arriving on Sunday to help identify victims and support the investigation.
He added: “We have nearly reached the end of the recovery phase of our response to this major incident and we have progressed much further than we could have even expected just a few days ago.
“Over the last five days – and it is remarkable to think it is just five days – my colleagues across the three services have worked tirelessly, expending remarkable effort in what has been very, very cold temperatures – wind, cold, even snow – to find the nine members of our community.
“It is a testament to the determination and the professionalism of Jersey emergency services, as well as the incredible support that we have received from the UK.
Mr Smith, Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown and Chief Ambulance Officer Peter Gavey thanked the many services, forces and agencies from the UK who had provided help since Saturday.
Mr Smith urged islanders to be patient as the investigation sought to establish the cause of the explosion.
“The investigation will be long and complex. It will take weeks; indeed, it will take months.
“I fully appreciate that family and friends of the victims, and our wider community as a whole, will want to know and understand how this tragic event occurred. We will get to that stage, I promise, but it will take time.
“I now ask for a degree of patience as we begin to undertake a detailed and meticulous professional investigation which includes the identification, and the inquests that the families affected truly deserve.”
Mr Brown added: “Now the direct role of the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service will begin to wind down as the move to the investigatory phase gathers pace.
“We will support in any way we can the investigation led by the States of Jersey Police with openness and transparency and the relentless drive for the truth through facts."
In a special podcast, the Bailiwick Express news team examine what we know so far about the Pier Road tragedy...
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