Major fire at Oxford Mall Arcade in downtown Kingston

Roxroy McLean/Gleaner Writer

Sixty-six vendors who sell at the Oxford Mall Arcade in downtown Kingston are now in limbo after a fire engulfed the market early this morning.

Just last week, vendors of the popular Ray Ray Market in downtown Kingston were left to pick up the pieces after it was damaged by a fire.

District Officer Francisco Bennett of the York Park Fire Station, told The Gleaner this morning that items worth millions of dollars went up in flames at Oxford despite the best efforts of firefighters attached to seven units from Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine.

When The Gleaner arrived, Bennett and the other firefighters were carrying out cooling down operations while vendors and concerned bystanders looked on.

The fire reportedly began around 4:30 a.m. but the cause has not been established.

Several vendors wept as they searched through the rubble.

One vendor told The Gleaner that it was a six-time setback for her business.

"A six time now mi business a get burn out and nobody no do nutten fi me when mi a start over," the vendor said.

In April 2021, a fire destroyed more than a dozen stalls, along with agricultural produce and dry goods at Oxford.

At that time the loss was estimated to be at $10 million.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com