MONTEGO BAY, St James – Fire yesterday destroyed a Chinese restaurant in the heart of Montego Bay’s tourist centre known as the “Hip Strip”, leaving damage estimated at $25 million.

All that remained yesterday afternoon was the shell of the Great House China Restaurant after the fire, which was said to have started in the kitchen.

Unlike other fires across the island where firefighters have been accused of failing to respond on time, the firefighters alleged that the operators of the restaurant were tardy in calling in the fire service.

“Based on what we have seen, I think they tried to put out the fire themselves before they called us,” said acting St James fire chief Asley Dryden, who was on the scene of the blaze yesterday.

Dryden said he had the impression that persons sometimes thought that they had to pay the fire department when they are called in, as he could find no other reasons why they were not summoned immediately.

Another senior firefighter at the scene of the fire said the smoke was visible from the office at Barnett Street on the other side of town when they got the call about 3:45 pm.

A man who operates a business nearby said when he saw smoke coming from the back of the premises he thought ‘things’ were being burnt at the back of the premises. It was later, he said, that he noticed it was a big fire and called 110. However, he told the Observer that he was then informed that the firefighters were already on the way.

Restaurant operator Kenny Wong said the fire began at around 3:40 in the afternoon. The fire, he said, started when the Chinese woks in the kitchen overheated.

The restaurant has been in operation for six years.

Montego Bay businessman Marr Brown owns the building, which is located between the Wexford Court Hotel and the exotic nightclub, Moods.

Yesterday, a visibly upset Brown said he was very angry at what had happened. Fighters said the building was insured.