McKenzie says Lucea Market will be repaired quickly

Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie says every effort will be made to speedily rebuild the Lucea Market in Hanover which was damaged by fire early Friday morning.

The fire was first reported at 3:51 a.m. and units from the Negril and Montego Bay fire stations responded to the blaze, which was brought under control about 5:15 a.m.

McKenzie said an initial assessment of the damage revealed that 23 market stalls were destroyed and five were damaged.

One firefighter was also injured during the operation, and is being treated for non life-threatening injuries at hospital.

“I feel the pain of the vendors who have lost their goods, and whose incomes have therefore been curtailed. I want to let them know that every effort will be made to rebuild speedily so that they and their customers will have a secure space in which to do business, especially with Christmas being less than three months away," McKenzie said in a media release on Friday.

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He said while the fire investigations continue, the process of assessing structural damage will begin immediately.

McKenzie said preliminary reports suggest the fire was caused by an electrical problem.

“I am also thankful that our firefighter who was injured in the incident, is not at risk of permanent injury or death. He was electrocuted while helping to extinguish the fire, and the subsequent preliminary assessment is that electrical faults are at the heart of the incident.

"We have had fires at a number of markets over the last year, and I want to urge all who need these important facilities for their livelihood to take due care of them,” he said.