Two people were injured and more than 30 people were left jobless after a multi-million dollar fire destroyed a dwelling house, business place and two cars on Cipero Street, San Fernando, yesterday.
As firefighters fought to contain the fire, which was threatening two other buildings, clouds of thick black smoke engulfed neighbouring businesses, resulting in the evacuation of several stores.
The two injured people, a man and a woman, were being treated for burns at the San Fernando General Hospital last night.
The blaze began around 3 pm upstairs a two-storey building where the Golden Terrace Restaurant once operated at Upper High Street.
The injured people, who live upstairs the house, were at home when the fire began. The fire quickly spread to an adjoining three-storey building on the right which houses two businesses–Draperies & Interiors Mega Traders Ltd and Mega Plumbing and Hardware.
Firefighters were successful in preventing the fire from destroying an adjourning property on the left where four people live upstairs.
In an interview after the fire was put out, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (South) Cecil Davis said they received the call around 3 pm and officers from South and Princes Town responded. However, he said, there was no external stairway for them to access the inside of the building, which made it difficult to fight the fire.
"We surrounded the building to prevent it from spreading. There is no external staircase and internal stairway, which is very dangerous for the workmen to work. We are on a defensive mode of firefighting at this point," he said.
He said a thorough investigation has to be done before they could estimate the amount of losses and cause of the fire.
Describing the situation as tragic, San Fernando Mayor Kazim Hosein, who arrived on the scene, said, "In this time it is a great loss, a great loss in San Fernando. We are in a recession and business is down and these are three successful businesses we have here. I understand two people were there cooking when the fire took place. It is sad, it is a great loss."
While he commended T&TEC and the Fire Service for their efficient response, the mayor said recently a fire took place on Pointe-a-Pierre Road and the business places were not equipped with a fire extinguisher.
"This should be a law they should pass. I think it is a law, but someone has to ensure there are fire extinguishers within the business places." He also lamented the absence of fire escapes in the business place.
"And you realise how close the businesses are and there is only one way in and one way out. That is where the corporation and Town and Country come in, to ensure that there are proper exits, fire extinguishers, way to get out. There must be a fire exit. That building there does not have any."
San Fernando East MP and Housing Minister Randall Mitchell also visited the scene and expressed concern that the business owners had lost their properties. He commended the work of the combined services.