Trinidad and Tobago: Fire at South Haven Mall injures two, forces closure of 20 stores

Trinidad and Tobago: A fire flared up at South Haven Mall in Debe, on August 20, 2024, that left two workers badly injured and caused the shutdown of twenty retail shops in the adjacent locality.

The fire incident was reported to have happened at the building construction section of the mall where welding works were going on.

According to information, the fire began at 9:45 am, the black billowy smoke was seen coming from the mall, which is situated at the SS Erin Road. The situation with the thickness of the smoke was such that in a short time the staff and customers were forced to leave the premises.

The Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service acted promptly to the disaster and managed to extinguish it before it had a chance to spread any further.

When the media persons reached the site, workers were still on the site. But the media were however not allowed to get in the vicinity of the fire. This could have been due to safety measures which were exercised especially when investigations have not yet established the cause of fire outbreak.

Later on, the media was able to reach to Chelsea Ramnarinesingh, the director of the Anand Low Price Group of Companies which owns South Haven Mall.

Ramnarinesingh also thanked the Fire Service for their fast and efficient work as she was sure that more people and area could have been affected. “We would like to express our deepest and sincere appreciation for the effort and the effort the Fire Service made to stop the fire from spreading further,” she said.

According to Ramnarinesingh, she received a phone call at 9:45 am informing her of the fire. When she got to the scene, she saw many fire officers actively working to resolve the state of affairs. Nonetheless, and to Ramnarinesingh’s estimation, the fire could have cost millions of dollars in damages.

This reportedly started within the construction section of the mall in which workers had embarked on the construction of three new theatre screens. They said that this area was under active development and regrettable enough, two construction workers were injured during the mishap. Little was said about their conditions, but it was revealed that they were being treated for the injuries.

It seems not to be the first time such event was reported to happen in that area. In July of the previous year, a similar incident occurred at Dansteel Limited, a business entity that also operates in the area, as a fire erupted on the roof from sparks arising from welding. Luckily, Dansteel Limited was in a position to re-open after appropriate repair of damages on the machineries.

At the moment, the police have remained tight-lipped as they carry on with the search for the cause of the fire in the South Haven Mall. Officials are seeking to know whether all safety measures were observed at the construction site and whether there were any omissions that led to the accident.