Millions in property damage as fire blazes at MoBay Holiday Inn
Published:Sunday | March 3, 2019 | 12:00 AMHopeton Bucknor - Gleaner Writer
Montego Bay, St James
Fire of unknown origin on Friday night destroyed a maintenance facility and workshop at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort at Rose Hall in Montego Bay, St James, leaving the hotel reeling from damage estimated at several million dollars.
A female security guard, who suffered respiratory problems, had to be rushed to hospital and treated, while three 40-foot containers, five motor vehicles and a tile storeroom were among the severely damaged.
Rudolph Seaton, assistant superintendent and acting chief at the St James Fire Department, told The Sunday Gleaner a clearer estimate of the damage could not be provided until his team met with the hotel’s management.
RESPONSE TIME
“It was a very serious fire,” Seaton said.
“We got the call about 8:25 p.m., and three units and an ambulance responded from the Freeport and Ironshore departments.”
He added: “A total of 23 firefighters responded about 8:30 p.m., and when the men got to the location they would have observed the fire coming from a section of the parking lot. The fire quickly spread and completely destroyed the maintenance housing and workshop building which is located in the vicinity of the car park area."
Seaton said the firefighters fought the blaze for about 45 minutes.
Efforts to get a comment from the hotel management proved unsuccessful.
A team attached to the Coral Gardens Police Station and investigators from the St James Fire Department returned to the location yesterday morning and continued their investigations in a bid to determine the origin of the fire and an estimate in damage.