Dalton Laing, Gleaner Writer

The man at left, one of the many persons who sprang into action in an effort to save the contents of Liu's Super Service and Wholesale along Great George Street in Savanna-la-Mar early yesterday morning, converses with Assistant Superintendent of Fire Seymour Watson and owner of the establishment Liu Minchen. - Photo by Dalton Laing

SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland:

Fire of unknown origin yesterday destroyed Liu's Super Service and Wholesale along Great George Street in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, leaving the owners to count over $25 million in losses.

Assistant Superintendent of Fire for Westmoreland, Seymour Watson, said the station received a call about 5:15 a.m., at which time the fire was confined to the back section of the building. He said fire personnel could not access the building because of the security measures at the premises, causing the fire to spread to the front.

No way through

"We were trying to cut through the door but we found out that a lot of things were packed behind it so we had some level of difficulty there. If the owners were on hand to assist us in accessing the building, a number of items could have been saved."

The building and its contents were not insured.

However, scores of persons who converged on the scene pointed fingers at the government saying that for too long the problem of defunct fire hydrants in the parish has been neglected.

They say two such hydrants are just a few metres from the destroyed building on either side of it, along Great George Street, yet the firemen had to travel almost five miles to replenish the trucks.