Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
Three families are facing heavy financial losses after a fast-spreading fire gutted two businesses in Claxton Bay.
Gangadaie Lalloo recalled the terrifying moment when she and a friend had to rush out of the Tarzan and Jane Roti Shop, which she and her husband Mahindra had run for the past three years along Hermitage Road, Union Village.
With thick black smoke quickly filling the shop, there was no time to grab anything or assess what was happening. Investigators said the fire broke out around 10.30 am in the roti shop’s kitchen and quickly spread to the neighbouring S&T One-Stop Shop, which shared the ground floor.
C&Y Hardware, located on the other side of the building, sustained minor damage, while an unoccupied apartment on the second floor suffered about 30 per cent structural damage.
FSO Lemessy and Fire Sub Officer James led a team of Mon Repos firefighters to the scene, where they were able to extinguish the blaze before it consumed the entire building.
Mahindra confirmed to Guardian Media that the fire had started in the kitchen, but he was not sure what caused it. He said his wife had already finished making breakfast, so there was no cooking happening at the time.
“I brought my food and put it outside. I went around 10.15 to the Play Whe booth to play a mark. My madame and a friend were sitting right inside. When I was done playing the mark and coming back, I heard my madame shouting, ‘fire, fire.’ By the time I got there, I could not go in because there were too many flames,” Mahindra said.
The couple suffered an estimated $30,000 in losses, with nothing salvaged from the fire. To make matters worse, the business was uninsured. After selling roti for 23 years, Mahindra is now contemplating moving the business to their home.
Meanwhile, across at S&T One-Stop Shop, the owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he had just stepped out for a quick errand, leaving a worker in charge.
Minutes later, his worker called him in a panic, saying the shop was on fire. She had to run out through the thick smoke. When the owner returned, he managed to grab a bread stand, but could not go back inside. He estimates his loss at over $400,000.
Burnt food items were scattered throughout the shop, and the only things left on the shelves were bottles of laundry detergent. With his air conditioning unit, freezers, chillers, and other equipment destroyed, the shop owner is now unsure how to rebuild, as his business was also uninsured.
It was his family’s only source of income. The owners of the building declined to comment. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and Fire Sub Officer Mohammed from the Fire Prevention Unit is continuing the investigation.