Vendors in limbo as fire ravages Highgate Market

HIGHGATE, St Mary:

Chairman of the St Mary Municipal Corporation, Richard Creary, said that the more than 50 vendors who lost goods and other possessions during Saturday’s predawn fire that gutted the Highgate Market are not covered by insurance.

Creary, who is also the mayor of Port Maria, told The Gleaner via telephone on Sunday that by law, vendors are allowed to operate and sell inside markets but that securing and storage of goods at such facilities was not sanctioned by law.

Describing the tragedy as unfortunate, Creary said he will be having dialogue with Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie to determine whether the sellers will receive emergency assistance.

The fire, which started shortly after 4 a.m., incinerated the entire market, destroying in its path dozens of stalls loaded with produce, shoes, and clothing, resulting in a massive setback for vendors who were already struggling to recover from the financial slowdown caused by COVID-19.

A vendor who gave his name only as Tiger described the tragedy as “wicked”, emphasising that he had lost everything. That included his inventory of jeans pants, sneakers, other shoes, and belts.

He and his partner had just purchased lots of stock from St Elizabeth and were eager to maintain Friday’s robust sales into Saturday.

“But, this morning, mi get a call say di market deh pon fire. By time mi reach, a pure fire and mi just stand up and watch it a bun down.

“Right now, wi need help because di pickney dem haffi go back to school in September and everything bun up,” Tiger said.

Two fire trucks from Port Maria initially fought the blaze, but a third was deployed from Annotto Bay, 12 miles away, to assist. However, the efforts of the firefighters were hampered by a water lock-off.

“I believe that, if water was in the area, perhaps firefighters could have saved even a section of the market,“ said Dr Morais Guy, member of parliament for St Mary Central, who was on the scene about 5:30 a.m. Saturday.

“The request was made to the Water Commission to regulate water so that we could get some water in the town (Highgate), which eventually came, but not as quickly as we would have wanted it to. As a consequence, we had a total destruction of the market,” Guy added.

Lamenting the property loss, Guy said that vendors adversely affected by COVID-19 restrictions had been eagerly looking forward to capitalising on Independence celebrations in August.

The St Mary Central representative said that he had reached out to Minister of Labour Karl Samuda and the Ministry of Local Government for assistance to be rendered to the fire victims. That help could include the distribution of grants or other rehabilitative assistance.

It is the second time in two years that the Highgate Market has been scorched, as, in early 2020, a section was damaged by fire. At least 12 stalls and a variety of goods were lost then.

Firefighters’ preliminary estimate of Saturday’s fire was more than $20 million, but that figure could rise.

gareth.davis@gleanerjm.com