ST JAMES, Jamaica — Firefighters in Montego Bay, St James were kept busy between Sunday and Monday with four early-morning fires, including two at the Old Shoe Market.

A shop and a warehouse were destroyed at the market in a blaze that broke out about 1:30 am Sunday. Then, in another fire that occurred about 12:02 am on Monday, another shop was destroyed. In both cases, firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading and there were no reports that the incidents were related.

Also on Sunday morning, another fire near the Retirement dump, caused damage to a bar and shop. There were no reports of injuries in that incident either but the Jamaica Fire Brigade, now on high alert, says they will continue their investigations assisted by the police.

Even as firefighters battled those blazes at the Old Shoe Market and the Retirement dump, fire broke out on Gravel Lane. One building which housed a lottery shop was gutted while an abandoned building was destroyed.

There was also extensive damage to a warehouse being used by SV Shoppers Mart as well as an appliance store on nearby Barnett Street.

According to eyewitness accounts, that fire was first noticed in the lottery shop about 4:40 am before quickly spreading to the abandoned building. It then reportedly spread to the warehouse before being brought under control by firefighters from the nearby Montego Bay Fire station. The owner of the appliance store, Steve Serrao described it as a massive loss.

“We had stoves, fridges, washers, freezers, it’s a lot of things that we lost during the blaze,” he told Observer Online.

Several appliances that were damaged by a Monday morning fire at a storage warehouse being used by SV Shoppers Mart on Barnett Street in Montego Bay. (Photo: Contributed)

He explained that some of the items lost cost approximately $300,000 to $400,000.

The building where they were stored was not insured at the time of the fire.

“It is a major setback for us when we lose $20 million to $30 million in merchandise. It is a big, big setback,” Serrao lamented, explaining that he got the call about 5:15 am and was on the scene within 10 minutes.

He said despite his quick arrival on site, his best efforts, coupled by assistance from onlookers, could only salvage a few appliances.

“The first step is to find the damage and make a note of it and then dispose of whatever is damaged. If somebody wants it, they can take it,” he said of his next steps.