Employees' brave efforts to stop fire fail, Cipero St business gutted

DESPITE early efforts by employees and a brave fight by the Fire Service, the odds prevailed against them after 2 pm on December 11 as a blaze gutted Product Central Trinidad, Cipero Street, San Fernando.

Employees of The Christmas Store nearby, who did not want to be identified, said the fire was first noticed in the building’s upper level, prompting security to instruct everyone to evacuate.

Across the road is Ramasir’s Sales and Service, whose owner, Chan Ramasir, told Newsday she saw the fire when it just began and gave their fire extinguisher to Product Central’s security guard before ordering her workers to evacuate.

“We get all the workers out of the building and run down the road. We looked at the neighbours to see if they come out, but they was still in the building trying to save their stuff. That’s understandable eh.”

The fire service arrived shortly after to douse the blaze. But by 2.45 pm, it was clear to the dozens of onlookers that the focus should shift to containment.

“That’s it there, the building go come down. They can’t stop it,” one onlooker told the woman standing next to him.

With the glass windows and walls of the second storey starting to collapse and electrical lines arcing together till they snapped, the fire service expanded its exclusion zone and forced the onlookers further away. Some workers, who less than an hour before been serving customers, were moved to tears, refusing to speak with the Newsday after identifying themselves.

The initial responding tender, however, had to retreat from the fight to refill its water supply. Although a San Fernando City Corporation tanker came to the rescue, one man shouted, “We need a fire hydrant!”

His colleague said there used to be a fire hydrant less than a block from the building on the corner of Sutton and Cipero Street, but it was removed a few years ago, though he was unable to recall an exact year.

Les Efforts East/Cipero councillor Ryaad Hosein said while the hydrant may be absent, there are others nearby on Lawrence Street and at Cross Crossing. From reports he received, he said the fire service did an “excellent job” trying to fight the blaze.

He noted the TT Electricity Commission, whose distribution South office was about a kilometre away, also responded promptly to disconnect the supply though admittedly experienced some difficulties initially due to burnt condition of the wires.

Greater San Fernando Area Chamber of Commerce president Kiran Singh empathised with the store’s owner, saying he knew the impact would be immeasurable as all the Christmas stock would be lost two weeks before the holiday.

“This store was vigorous in sales. They were open Sunday to Sunday. We don’t know what the owners of the business will do now that the business has been completely destroyed. They would have lost many thousands in stock that they wouldn’t be able to replace and it will be a heavy loss to Cipero Street, one of the main shopping streets in downtown San Fernando. It’s really unfortunate what we witnessed here today.”

Hosein said the community will also feel the loss of the store, which he credited with employing several members of the surrounding areas.

“They had a very big staff, and due to this now, it creates some problems because Christmas is around the corner, and they will be unable to do what it is they were supposed to for their families now that they are out of a job.”

The store’s owner was at the scene looking on in disbelief, declining an interview with Newsday.

It’s the second structural fire to occur in San Fernando this week. On December 9 a Moody Stuart Street, Mon Repos blaze left six people homeless, including