Fires have devoured at least two large stores in Santo Domingo in the last three weeks, negatively impacting owners, employees and customers, as well as surrounding establishments that have also seen their operations affected by smoke, the temporary closure of roads and the risk generated by both incidents.
A devastating accident occurred this Thursday morning in the warehouses of the iconic Garrido store, located on Duarte Street, in the National District. The fire occurred around 7:00 in the morning on the fourth floor of the warehouse, where all the items in inventory were consumed, mainly household products and plastic materials.
According to versions of employees and witnesses, the fire originated from a short circuit after an interruption of the electrical service and the subsequent switching on of the emergency plant, which would have generated an overload in the breakers.
Although the outbreak began at the back of the establishment, dense black smoke spread throughout a large part of the store, affecting thousands of supermarket products.
Firefighters
The head of the National District Fire DepartmentJosé Luis Frómeta Herasme, reported that there were no injuries or fatalities in the incident, in which more than 100 firefighters and more than a dozen trucks participated. He indicated that the work was difficult because the building has old windows sealed with iron bars, which forced them to break to achieve ventilation.
The economic losses are in the millions and will be precisely determined after a technical expert report, once the structural control and inspection work is completed. According to data provided on the spot, by Frómeta, 87% of fires in the country are caused by short circuits.
As a critical fact, despite the large amount of smoke in the area and its surroundings, several businesses on Duarte Street kept their doors open, exposing customers and employees to health risks. Police authorities limited themselves to coordinating traffic, while stores continued to offer products and services.
Fire L&R Commercial
Last Thursday, February 12, another accident affected the L&R Comercial furniture, appliance and household items sales establishment, located on Charles de Gaulle Avenue, in Villa Mella, Santo Domingo Norte municipality. The fire was reported at 5:50 in the afternoon and caused the total loss of the facilities and inventory, according to the company in a statement.
In this case, nearby businesses such as Payless, Banco Ademi and a cabin-type hotel located nearby were also impacted, which had to temporarily suspend their operations for security reasons. As in the Duarte Street fire, no human victims were reported, although the material damage was considerable.
