Minimart destroyed by fire

A community treasure gone up in smoke.

That was how some residents described the destruction of Sam J’s Minimart, on Belmont Road, St Michael, in a fire on Thursday morning.

The blaze that occurred around 6 a.m. extensively damaged the variety store which residents said had been a staple in the community for more than three decades.

When Barbados TODAY visited the scene on Thursday afternoon, a group of people looking at the badly burnt structure said owner Orville Redman was at a low point and could not speak to the media.

“That shop got history,” one elderly man reflected.“I come and find that there. My mother used to shop there ever since.”

Another man who frequents the area described the minimart as a true “life saver”.

“I wasn’t born yet when that [shop was built],” added a younger man.

Twelve fire officers under the command of Station Officers Marlon Small and Tremelle Perch responded to the destructive blaze.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing.
(MR)