A mammoth fire which was apparently caused by a gas leak engulfed a general store operated by Chinese nationals at 81-82 Robb and Camp streets at 2:35am yesterday.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle said the smallest spark could’ve ignited the blaze and if it was not contained an entire block could’ve been burnt down.
Gentle said he understands that the owners of the commercial building used it as their living quarters. He said that having a domesticated environment in a commercial centre was not the best idea. Gentle said cooking in the restaurant is fine, since that’s what it was designed for, but not the hardware store.
Based on reports gathered by this newspaper, the fire started from an explosion that erupted from a gas cylinder at the centre of the building.
Rizwan Naim Khan, the owner of the discount store on Regent Street and the TelePerformance building opposite the burnt complex is the current owner of the building. He had bought the 20,000-square feet building from Kissoon’s two years ago. Khan said millions went up in flames.
Yun Ping Lin, the woman who had been operating the three-storey building for the past three years, which included the hardware store Gold City, the Manchester Restaurant and a storage building said five persons were in the building when the fire ignited, including a baby.
A small snackette that was located on the eastern side of the building was also destroyed. The fire damaged four buildings nearby. Four of Republic Bank’s windows were shattered because of the heat and several others were cracked. The bank is on the western side of
