Arsonists destroy trash hauler’s trucks days after signing WMA contract

An arson attack has caused millions of dollars in damage at Just Right Trucking, only four days after the V.I. Waste Management Authority announced that the company had been hired to take over trash collection routes for more than 20 neighborhoods on St. Croix.

At around 4:37 a.m. Sunday, the 911 call center received multiple reports of a fire at the business in Orange Grove, and the V.I. Fire and Emergency Medical Services “discovered that the company’s garage and several vehicles were fully engulfed in flames,” according to a news release from spokeswoman Chiemeka Fredericksen. “Despite the intensity of the blaze, their swift and coordinated efforts prevented the fire from spreading to nearby structures. Crews worked diligently to extinguish the flames and secure the site for investigators,” according to the news release.

“Following an initial investigation, it has been confirmed that the fire was deliberately set,” according to Fredericksen. “Evidence suggests that arsonists trespassed onto the property and deliberately set fire to heavy equipment, including a trackhoe, a backhoe, and three dump trucks.” “We have cameras so we saw what transpired,” said company co-owner Lorraine Benjamin-Matthew, but the arsonists’ faces are not visible because “they were fully masked.” Lorraine Benjamin-Matthew and her husband, Mitchell, operate the business.