Proprietor Thomas Roserie is Happy.
By Kingsley Emmanuel
A fire which threatened to destroy one of the oldest buildings in Vieux-Fort town was saved by the prompt reaction of fire officers.
And its owner, businessman Thomas Roserie, said he was surprised by the resistance the building offered to the fire, which only resulted in minor damages inside the building.
āWhat is most revealing is the manner the wood handled the fireā¦There is hardly any noticeable sign of a fire from the outside of the building. This shows that the wood used to construct the building was durable,ā Roserie said.
According to Roserie, he had only done minor repairs to the building such as painting, since purchasing it.
He said the building which once housed Theodore Drug Store has been in existence for about 100 years. Roserie estimated the damages to be several thousand dollars. Apart from minor damages to the physical structure other damages include ruined merchandise by water and fire.
The fire started sometime after 4.00 a.m on Tuesday. Fire officers who were alerted of the fire by a passerby, have not ascertain the cause of the blaze, but Roserie believes it may be electrical in origin.
āI have no reason to believe there was any foul playā¦ā Roserie said.
The building, located at the intersection of Commercial and Church Street, houses several businesses belonging to Roserie and his wife. They include a beauty salon, an insurance business, a boutique and a Chemico outlet.
Roserie praised the fire officers for a job well done.
āThe fire officers did a good job in extinguishing the fire. I am happy that the damages were not extensive and there was no loss of life,ā he said.
Roserie said only the front part of the building which houses the boutique was affected, adding that it will take some time to re- open it. The other businesses will be back in operation very soon, he said.
āWe have to do some repairs and restock as wellā¦ Some of the items which were not burnt were waterlogged,ā Roserie said.