AN early morning fire yesterday, razed the well-known Penny’s For Fabrics store on Princess Street, downtown Kingston, destroying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and office equipment.

Yesterday, store proprietor Lawrence Heffes was at a loss for words, but senior employee, Shalonie Campbell, told the Observer that they were informed of the fire at approximately 7:00 am.

“We received a call that smoke was seen coming from the building and by the time we came on the scene with the York Park firefighters, everything burn up,” said Campbell, who has worked at Penny’s for over 13 years.

“We don’t know the estimated loss, but everything including the office with the computers and all the fabrics on display have been destroyed. Everything gone,” she said, adding that the building was insured.

Yesterday, a large crowd converged on the scene to view the damage caused by the fire. The store’s blackened interior was testament to the strength of the blaze.

Meanwhile, another employee, Christine Meeks, said the closure of the store would be a huge loss to the downtown Kingston business community.

“Yes, it’s a great loss. But for us, it’s just another obstacle to overcome. We just have to pick up the pieces to move on. The police and the insurance company are here so we’ll just wait and hear what they have to say,” Meeks told the Observer.

Yesterday, two cops from the Kingston Central police division who were on the scene said the fire could have been caused by an electric short-circuit.