Highgate Market in St Mary gutted by fire

Gareth Davis Snr, Gleaner Writer

An electrical fire this morning gutted the Highgate Market in St Mary.

Head of the St Mary Police Division Superintendent Bobette Morgan-Simpson told The Gleaner that no arson is suspected.

She stated that preliminary information has indicated that faulty wiring played a role in the blaze.

She said investigators remain at the scene.

The blaze destroyed dozens of stalls, crippling the livelihood of several vendors who were slowly recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fire started shortly after 4 a.m. and quickly spread.

Three fire units tried to control the blaze, but according to firefighters, it quickly got out of control due to a lack of water in the area brought about by dry conditions.

"It is a sad day for these vendors who earlier suffered valuable income during the passage of the pandemic recently," said Member of Parliament for Central St Mary, Dr Morais Guy.

"The recovery process will be a painstaking one for them, many of whom were banking heavily on sales to assist their children going back to school in another month and half or so. I have already contacted the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to see whether emergency grants can be provided to these vendors who will need every ounce of assistance to get back on their feet," he added.

A preliminary estimate puts the damage from the fire at over $20 million, and according to one firefighter, that figure is expected to increase significantly as the loss of goods will figure heavily in the overall estimate of damage.

- Carl Gilchrist contributed to this story.

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