Today only the ashes and remains of household goods remain that once adorned the luxurious restaurant plaza “Lumaka” that was reduced to ashes the day before yesterday, in the Boca Chica municipality in the east of the country.
Of this establishment, which was made up of 16 booths, VIP areas, ostentatious Jacuzzis, swimming pool and common areas, only the industrial smoke extractors placed in the kitchens remained, and this because it was made of stainless steel, as Ariel Almonte explained to elCaribe , the general generator of Lumaka.
Almonte confirmed that the roof of this business was covered with cane, sticks and wood.
The young man said that given these architectural characteristics that this establishment had, they could not have fire insurance.
In addition, he added that a couple of weeks before this incident they began to manage it. However, the answers were negative, since they did not qualify for such purposes.
“No, this business did not have insurance because the cana and the stick are not insured,” Almonte said.
Ariel Almonte said that this restaurant was made up of a workforce of around 70 employees and that they make up a monthly payroll of 400 thousand pesos.
The booths were rented: tenants await a response
According to information, the different booths were rented to personnel who had been working in that space for several years.
Jenny Sosa, who worked in booth number 16, regretted what happened since working in that establishment is the only means of livelihood for hundreds of families.
“We hope that the trustee of this municipality or the president of the Republic will help us with this situation that has left us in the air,” he argued.
On this particular, the administration of the square has not referred, because they are still investigating the causes of the incident, while collecting information on the material damage.
The cause of the accident is still unknown
The Boca Chica firefighters, as well as the municipal authorities of that demarcation, have not explained the causes of the incident in this restaurant.
The incident began at 4:00 pm on Monday in this business located on José Francisco Peña Gómez street, in Boca Chica.
Although the flames quickly consumed that place, no human losses or injuries were recorded as a result of it. Joaquín Pérez Casado, superintendent of the Fire Department in Boca Chica, said that the fire spread rapidly because the property was covered with reeds.
Owners of the Lumaka still haven’t visited the facilities
It transpired that the owners of the Lumaka restaurant are Dominicans and that they have not yet visited the place after the fire since they are very affected by what happened.
A source informed elCaribe that the owners “worked very hard to set up that business and that it was at its best moment” and that they still do not believe what happened.
It was 4 years old and it was popular
The Lumaka restaurant had been open to the public for four years, where they invited diners to enjoy an experience, located “100 meters from the beach.”
In the social networks of this establishment it is testified that it was a favorite space for its public to celebrate weddings and birthdays, which at the same time was visited by entertainment figures and artists, both local and international.
“People came here just to take photos, because all this was very nice and well cared for,” Ariel Almonte, general manager of Lumaka, told elCaribe.
Several of the employees of this restaurant expressed being surprised by what happened, while highlighting that “the best atmosphere in Boca Chica” was in that facility.
“Seeing this like this breaks anyone’s soul because one knows what it was like and what they worked for it,” said an employee.
On the Instagram platform of this business, several users regretted what happened and some recalled moments experienced there.
