An alarm raised by concerned residents of Ricketts Avenue in St Andrew helped to save the life of businessman Owen Wright from a fire that ravaged the premises where he operates two businesses, destroying his motor car and millions of dollars worth of equipment.

When Wright, a mechanic and a producer of sawdust, arrived at the location Friday morning from his residence in St Catherine, he felt tired and decided to take a nap. Midway into his rest, a fire of unknown origin developed and quickly grew out of control.

“All I can say is that there was a fire and someone woke me up. I had some work to do on that truck, so I said I would go in and get a little rest. While resting, all I could hear was someone banging down the door. When I got out and looked, I saw fire right through the place. I lost everything, machine and everything. One machine costs close to $1 million. I lost my car, which is a 2007 Caldina. When I came out, everything under fire. The fire was raging, breeze was blowing and the smoke rose high. By the time I came out, it didn’t take long for the fire brigade to get here,” he said, explaining that his motor vehicle was worth more than $2 million.

One male resident told the Jamaica Observer that he’d had to rush from work to get to his house because the details of the fire that his stepdaughter had been feeding him with over the phone sounded serious. He expressed sympathy for Wright, who he described as a good man who helps to provide young people in the community with employment.

“A whole heap a people the boss help. A nuff youth work over here when they have nothing to do. This is a bad energy. He is a good man in the community. I was at work on Hope Road when my stepdaughter called me and said fire. She said it had reached a tree and was blowing over the next yard on them. When me shoot come down here, this is what mi come see.”

A female resident told the Observer that it was not the first fire at the location, as one occurred there a few years ago.

“Me and the other people over my yard were fretting because the fire was spreading. Me glad the fire brigade come because we house would a gone. The man lucky seh the good Samaritans go in deh and seh fire, because he was fast asleep.”