Fire Service slammed as mini mart, vehicles burn in Princes Town

THE Fire Service has again come under pressure after a family-owned mini mart and two vehicles were destroyed by a suspicious fire at Princes Town on Thursday morning.

Owner Paul McLean of Tramline Road, Princes Town, said the service was slow in responding to emergency calls and, when tit arrived, after going in the wrong direction, the water pump was not working.

“When they got here, the water pump on the truck got stuck and they had to wait for several minutes for it to start working. Then they ran out of water. They had to go back and get more water.”

McLean, 52, said without these challenges, the losses could have been minimised.

“We lost everything as it is,” McLean said in an interview with Newsday.

The incident comes weeks after mother Kemba Morris and her eight-year-old daughter Zaya died in a house fire at Quinam Road, Siparia.

At that time, the Fire Service was publicly criticised for not having trucks in the district to respond, and having to depend on equipment from the Penal station causing a lengthy delay. Insufficient water was also an issue in the Siparia fire.

Fire Services Association president Leo Ramkissioon, in response to the public criticism of the April 4 incident, declared the service was in crisis. He called on the public to lobby for firefighters to get better and functioning equipment.

McLean, 52, said he and his wife, Narifa Ramkissoon, had run Sascha Mini Mart – One Stop Shop for the past seven years and it was their main source of income.

He said the business was registered in his wife’s name and he worked as a part-time mason to supplement their income. He said they would need help to rebuild.

He said around 1.15 am on Thursday, his brother Allan McLean called, frantically telling him the business place was on fire.

McLean who lives nearby, said he rushed there and with the help of others tried to douse the flames with buckets of water. He said several calls were made to the nearby Princes Town Fire Station but firefighters were delayed.

Two vehicles, a Nissan Cefiro, PCA 1877, valued around $60,000 and a Chevy, PAP 107, valued around $25,000, were damaged. He said the Chevy was not insured as it had been under repair for a little while.

McLean said he could not ascertain the cause of the fire, but crime scene investigators had been instructed to gather forensic information.

Fire sub officer Mc Farlane, WPC Alexander-Warner  and Princes Town Police police responded to the call.

PC Harripersad and officers from the Princes Town CID also processed the scene.

WPC Alexander-Warner is continuing investigations.