Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer
Firefighters cool down burnt-out vending stalls at the back of the Portmore Mall in St. Catherine yesterday. The cause of the fire is
not known. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:
FIRE OF unknown origin destroyed several stalls at the Portmore municipal temporary market near the Portmore Mall yesterday afternoon.
The fire, which started sometime after 1:00 p.m., found persons scampering for cover after the stalls started blazing. The problem was compounded by the unavailability of the unit from the nearby fire station. The unit was out working elsewhere. As a result, a unit had to be summoned from Trench Town to put out the fire. No one was injured and neither the cause of the fire nor an estimate of the loss incurred have yet been ascertained.
AWAITING ASSESSMENT
When The Gleaner contacted the Trench Town Fire Station, an officer stated that an assessment was still being carried out to determine what may have caused the fire.
In recent times fires caused by carelessness, such as the improper disposal of cigarette butts and other small lit objects, have resulted in millions of dollars in damage as the fire brigade stretches its resources to deal with the problem.
