MONTEGO BAY, St James — Driving into Old Shoe Market here on Saturday morning, a fire was the last thing on “Tunny’s” mind as she turned up to open her establishment for business.

However, as she turned in, billowing smoke welcomed her, indicating that something was wrong.

“I was driving in when a girl said, ‘See the smoke, see the smoke!’ She run and called the fire truck [Jamaica Fire Brigade], and I threw the key give a next girl to open it but she couldn’t open it; the heat made she couldn’t open it,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

However, despite their collective effort and the subsequent actions of the firefighters, Tunny lost most of the contents of her shop as well as sections of the structure.

“I lose more than $6 million or more,” the long-time vendor said.

“I sell man and women stuff, shoes, accessories. I sell only original Polo, Casablanca, Billionaire, Coach — I have a lot of Coach stuff, a lot of stuff, pure originals,” she explained.

“In the showcase, I have American Eagle underpants, Polo T-shirts, Tommy [Hilfiger] hats, and all of those stuff,” she said, adding, “I lose so much money but, a so it goes — lose and gain. So it go; I lose a lot.”

Tunny is now wondering how she’ll pick up the pieces given that whatever help may come might be too small for her to rebound from this disaster.

“I know I won’t get any help; $60,000 can’t buy back even one of my shirts,” she lamented.

She is, however, determined to get over this setback and rebuild the business that has contributed so much to her life.

“I know I am gaining out here, and even though I see the fire, I can’t just give up,” she said. “I stayed here and sent my daughter to university; she is a dentist today.”

The destruction of Tunny’s shop comes just 10 days after another fire destroyed three shops in the market, leaving others like her to either rebuild or move on.

The frequent fires in the space has caused unease among some vendors, including Tunny.

“I am worried to do it and it is our daily living. Even though it burn down right now, it’s our living,” she told Sunday Observer.

When fellow vendor Monica Bennett turned up at the market and heard about the fire, she wept openly.

Bennett occupied one of the 40 shops that was destroyed by fire last October. She now shares space with another vendor.

“Tears came to my eyes a little while ago because I was saying, ‘Father God, is it us again?’ [Fire] last week Tuesday and today, Saturday,” she bemoaned.

She said the two fires come days before the anniversary of the one that destroyed a large section of the shops in the usually busy market in 2023.

“[There was a fire] last year , and it is not even the birthday yet; October coming is the birthday. We tired of this man,” Bennett said.

She doesn’t know if the fires are due to electrical issues or the deliberate actions of individuals. However, she is hoping that the situation will not continue.

She is also asking for help for those impacted by fires in the market and is hoping that the promise to rebuild will happen sooner than later.

“From when dem seh the shops will be rebuilt — because the last time, when the prime minister came here, when them keep a meeting out there and he said that was in the making — up until now we don’t know what’s happening,” she said.

Firefighters from the nearby Barnett Street station, who got the call about 11 am Saturday, extinguished the blaze at Tunny’s shop, preventing it from spreading to nearby shops.

One of the units from the nearby Barnett Street Fire Station on the scene of yesterday’s fire at Old Shoe Market in Montego Bay, St James.