Police have arrested and charged a 31-year-old Dominican Republic national with arson following a fire that destroyed part of the Immigration Detention Centre at Coolidge.
Luis De Los Santos has been accused of deliberately setting the fire that engulfed two detention rooms at the facility, which is located at the Antigua Air Station Military Base.
The incident occurred on August 18, 2025, when police and firefighters responded to a fire report at approximately 4:20pm. Upon arrival, emergency responders found two detention rooms completely engulfed in flames.
Firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze and managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings on the compound, averting what could have been more extensive damage to the facility.
De Los Santos, who was being held by the Immigration Department in one of the units at the time of the fire, was treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries sustained during the incident.
The accused appeared before Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel, who denied his bail application. The court determined that De Los Santos poses a flight risk.
He has been remanded to prison and is scheduled to appear in court again on September 2nd for his next hearing.
Wha happen? He na want go home? But seriously- I hope he makes a full recovery and that he is given grace and shown mercy because something is seriously and obviously wrong if he would rather die than be deported.
I can imagine the stress of being detained, but risking lives with fire? That’s unacceptable.
But what he try to burin down the people place for? Was this an attempted suicide? Smfh
How was he able to start a fire inside a detention unit? Serious questions need to be asked about security and supervision.
It’s a tragic situation all around, damage to the facility, risk to lives, and now one man’s life ruined by bad choices.