Another fire at Old Fort

Shamir Brown

With four craft vendors still reeling from the devastating effects of a fire which razed their shops at the Old Fort Craft, Montego Bay exactly a month to the day, comes the news of the destruction of another shop and damage to others by fire of unknown origin.

“Mi pressure gone up! A don’t know how me ago manage,” said a traumatized Ivory Brown, who operates the shop at the Old Fort Craft Market.

“I was the one who built the shop. My shop was the most stocked shop in this craft market. I had craft items, paintings, and jewelry and now I have lost everything; everything, I don’t save a thing,” she lamented.

Ms Brown further explained that the shop was her only source of income, so it is a heavy blow to her as she does not have the means to recover from such a heavy loss.

“I don’t know how I’m going to manage. I don’t have what to start over with,” she told the Western Mirror.

District Officer of the Freeport Fire Station, Rohan Cole, said they received a call about 11:38p.m. and responded with two units which eventually quelled the fire, but only after it destroyed Miss Brown’s shop and contents, and damaged two other shops in close proximity to hers.

 Brown is of the view that the fire may have been the work of arsonists, a view that has not been substantiated by fire personnel or the police.

Loss is estimated at 2.5 million dollars.

The fire in December left damage in excess of 10 million dollars.