Vendors gutted after Pearnel Charles Arcade fire

"Fire again!" It's the phrase echoing through downtown Kingston as vendors at Pearnel Charles Arcade sift through ash, charred and soaked goods as the weight of yet another fire descend on their shoulders.

Yesterday, just after 1 p.m., thick smoke began curling out of the arcade. Within minutes, fire had swallowed parts of the structure whole.

According to acting commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Alric Hacker, the call came in at 1:16 p.m. "When we got there, it was fully engulfed in smoke," he said.

The fire was brought under control around 2:07 p.m., but not before leaving behind scorched storerooms and broken spirits.

"It was difficult to access it," Hacker explained, blaming the layout of the stalls. "Because of the construction of the stall, it took a while to access the seat of the fire, but it was contained."

This marks yet another fire in a long string of blazes to plague the Pearnel Charles Arcade. The last major incident was in November of 2024, just four months ago, when most stalls were reduced to cinders.

Among those most devastated this time around is Carlos, a long-time shop owner, who wasn't even in Kingston when the flames broke out. He was in Ocho Rios, St Ann, more than an hour and a half away, when he got the call that turned his Sunday upside down.

"Mi affi just jump inna di car and fly dung yah. Stress out, mi cya believe," he told THE STAR.

The vendor said that he arrived to find two of his three storerooms damaged, one completely burnt out.

"A whole heap a loss, a whole heap a millions mi nuh know how this a go work," he said.

He had just restocked his storerooms with shoes, "A lot of shoes. Sneakers, Clarks, Air Jordans, slippers," he listed.

He could barely find words.

"Not only the fire damage mi goods, but the after effects, the water weh out the fire damage some as well."

Operations have ground to a halt for Carlos and his team of over six employees.

"This a hinder the normal operation right now because how me a guh get back me shoes dem? And how my worker them ago work a morning? Them caah come now fi come buy nothing."

Desperation crept into his voice as he considered the next steps. "Right about now it coming like me affi go borrow money from bank and get back the thing them because how mi a guh pay fi this now?"

While fire crews battled the blaze, the community jumped into action. Shevaughn, a resident, was one of the first to lend a hand. "This is my second time helping out with the fire," he told THE STAR.

As the firefighters worked, several persons were seen sweeping out water, unpacking goods, and salvaging what little they could.

"Water flood couple well, so yuh know them a guh lose, that caah sell," Shevaughn added, showing THE STAR team the scorched remains and soggy shoes that once lined the racks.