KINGSTON, Jamaica — Vendors in the Ray Ray Market on West Queen Street in downtown Kingston spent this morning counting their losses after yet another fire razed the open air vending area.

“We get ‘bun’ out all the time and we no get no help at all and now a dead we ago dead.  How we ago manage now?” said one vendor who gave her name only as Sandra.

“Nothing never did a gwan because of the corona[virus] and it worse now. How we pickney dem ago back a school.  Mr Prime Minister [Andrew Holness] and the Ministry of Local Government [Desmond McKenzie], we need help now,” added Sandra.

With other vendors joining her plea for assistance, Sandra pointed to her colleague Moveta, who operates two shops in the market.

“Everything fi me gone and it is not the first, it is all the while.  A last week me trust a barrel fi $35,000 and a seven barrel gone fi mi.  You see them two space deh, a my two buildings that and that [the rubble] is all mi have left,” said Moveta.

“Mi borrow loan, mi have fi pay rent, mortgage, mi have fi pay pardner, everything and mi nuh know what else fi do.  Andrew Holness, whosoever a watch or read this, unnu can do something fi we.  Unnu never do nutten fi we.  COVID mash wi up, gunshot mash wi up and now fire, Jesus have mercy man, unnu must can do something this time.

“A just poor people sell over here.  Me have mi grand pickney dem and me too old fi go pon road go do certain things so me a beg some help,” added Moveta.

Fire investigators on the scene this morning told OBSERVER ONLINE that they were yet to determine the cause of the blaze.

“We got the call about 11:54 pm and we dispatched four units.  When we got here the place was engulfed in flames but we were able to get it under control and extinguish it,” said Joshua Davis, acting senior deputy superintendent in charge of operations at the Jamaica Fire Brigade.

“We could not conclude that it was arson, because we have no evidence to prove that,” added Davis.

But the police are alleging that the market was set on fire by thugs as they made their escape, having engaged members of the security forces in a shootout.

According to the police, members of a patrol team were on operation in the section of West Kingston known as “Lizard Town” when they came under attack by a heavily armed group of men.

The police patrol team was reportedly pinned down for more than 10 minutes before personnel from six police divisions, and members of the Jamaica Defence Force responded.

It is further reported that the police and military personnel, who responded, were met with gunfire by the heavily armed men, who set fire to the market while making their escape.

Arthur Hall