A FIRE, caused by a bolt of lightning, yesterday ravaged an offshore Thai res-taurant at Sandals Royal Caribbean in the tourist resort of Montego Bay, St. James, causing an estimated $16 million in damage.
The restaurant, located at Sandals Cay, was insured, said Leo Lambert, group public relations director at Sandals.
District officer Dennis Wallace, from the Ironshore Fire Department in Montego Bay, told The Gleaner yesterday that the Fire Brigade received a call at 6:55 a.m. and the team was ferried by boat to the fire. He said a Sandals pump used to take water from the sea malfunctioned for five minutes before it was rectified.
"The cause of the fire was because of the lightning. There was a big (flash of) lightning and no stove was lit when the fire started," he said.
District officer Wallace said the fire spread quickly because the restaurant's roof was thatched.
Mr. Lambert declined to give an estimate of the cost of the damage, only saying that it runs into "millions of dollars". However, District Officer Wallace said, "to my estimation it is about US$400,00O ($16 million). I spoke with a director and he gave me that figure."
In an interview with The Gleaner, Mr. Lambert said water sports members of staff tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the blaze before the fire-fighters arrived at the scene.
According to him, the fire has not affected the general operations of Sandals Royal Caribbean. It said some services at Sandals Cay, excluding dining, will be restored within 48 hours. Mr. Lambert said those services include the swim-up pool bar and diving.
