Information reaching The Star is that the fire, which started shortly after midnight, ravaged some shops, devouring fruits, vegetables and haberdashery.

Charred remains

Pearl Matthews, 62, who operated one of the shops, said she got a call about the fire shortly after midnight. She left her St Elizabeth home and arrived at the scene at 8 a.m. only to be met with charred remains of a television, refrigerator, stove and a few of her stock, mostly fruits and vegetables.

"I don't know what to do now, this is a major setback in the Christmas season," she said. "There are no fruits on the trees now and those that I had was burnt up in the fire. It's going to be hard getting back on my feet."

Optimistic despite the obvious

Elaine Richards, another vendor, however, was more optimistic despite the obvious. She stated that while she took a hit as a result of the fire, she believes that once she has life she may still be able to make the best of the Christmas rush in the coming month.

When quizzed about the source of the fire, vendors seemed to be in the dark as to what could have led to such a heartbreaking episode. Additionally, attempts to source the information from the St James Fire Department were unsuccessful up to press time yesterday.