KINGSTON, Jamaica – General Manager of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) Dr Damian Graham says the Corporation will be engaging the services of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund and the Social Development Commission to provide counselling for vendors affected by the fire at the Kingston Craft Market last Thursday which damaged some 18 shops.

The counselling has been arranged for May 5.The UDC in a release this afternoon said it will also partner with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation in facilitating their business support services along with the Tourism Product Development Company.The UDC also reported that it has already facilitated the restoration of temporary power to the building after the service was suspended in the wake of the fire.This temporary service will remain until electrical cables and infrastructure, which were damaged in the fire, are fully assessed and replaced. A major clean-up exercise was conducted to return the facility to normalcy on Saturday, April 29 at 9:00 am.In the meantime, Dr Graham sang the praises of the individuals at the centre of the process.“It was really an operation by the security team, the maintenance team and the persons at the craft market; hats off to them. The response that I saw demonstrates the character of the UDC. I said to the vendors that no lives were lost, only property, and the fact that we are aboveground means the Almighty has given us another chance. The development story continues,” the UDC general manager added.Investigations into the source of the fire are ongoing by the Jamaica Fire Brigade. Further analysis continues into estimating the value of the damage to the structure and to the goods.The Kingston Craft Market building, which is fully insured, has benefited under the redevelopment plans for downtown Kingston from rehabilitative works including the removal and replacement of the roof, refurbishing of bathrooms, painting, landscaping and the upgrading of a rainwater disposal system.The facility is opened from Monday to Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Wednesdays at 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.The redevelopment of downtown Kingston and Port Royal is aligned with Vision 2030 Jamaica national development plan.