Courage under fire – Jamaica Observer

Employees of Superior Parts Limited and a taxi driver battled to save millions of dollars worth of motorcycles and cars on Thursday as a raging fire tore through the company on Hagley Park Road in St Andrew, while firefighters were hampered by a lack of water amid the severe drought that has triggered water restrictions in sections of the island.

Although firefighters from seven stations in Kingston and St Catherine responded, the majority of the stock was destroyed in the midday inferno that sent thick black smoke into the air and created traffic snarls on Hagley Park Road and adjoining thoroughfares.

In the midst of the chaos and destruction, 71-year-old Leroy Terlon used a forklift to remove numerous wooden boxes from the premises and placed them on the road.

“I had to put out the energy and the effort to get certain things saved. I have been here for 20 years and I helped to build the company to where it is now, with labour and loyalty. This event shouldn’t have happened,” Terlon told the Jamaica Observer as he sipped a cold beer at a nearby gas station following his heroics.

He said he was cooling off after his exposure to the intense heat.

“This hurts me. This company is like mine. If I talk about it, tears will come to my eyes. I have been there for so long. It hurts me. I don’t have liquid cash in the business, but I have years of service,” he added as he received congratulatory messages from friends for his bravery.

Other employees also rushed to move stock from the building, while taxi operator Kemal Dunn used his car to tow motor vehicles from a car mart adjoining the burning property.

“I just saw it and said I had to help. I knew it would spread because Superior has a lot of boxes,” he told the Observer.

“I was just driving past. My uncle owns a car dealership up the road. This car dealership just started. For a trying man, I decided to just assist him as best as I could,” Dunn explained.

“Only one car got damaged out of more than 30 that were there. I helped them rescue a good 20 of them. I used my car to pull out some. We used a wire to jump-start others because they were parked for a good while and they had no power to start. I am glad I helped them to minimise the loss.

“I was just watching the electric wire. The fire, you just have to know how to stay a good distance because you are going to feel the heat. The wires were sparking and gashing.”

“I love to help a person and he can pass it on to a next person. I am not going to take my phone and video when I can help,” he added, taking an apparent jab at the many onlookers who stood recording the fire with their cellphones.

Dunn said he banged on the windows of neighbouring houses to ensure that no humans were inside.

“All of these things are material things that can be replaced. A lot of people won’t have a job tomorrow, but they still have life,” Dunn reasoned.

As the fire raged, people in a number of adjoining residential and commercial premises moved out as many supplies and furniture before the flames spread.

One Superior Parts employee, who wished to remain anonymous, speculated that welding sparked the blaze.

“There was welding going on around the back. The fire started around that side. Nobody is allowed to smoke on property, so we believe it started with the welding. We don’t see any other way the fire could have started,” the worker said.

Amid the devastation wrought by the fire, police were kept on their toes by onlookers who wanted to get close-up shots to post on social media. Cops were heard repeatedly telling them to remove from the area for their safety.

Other onlookers were heard venting that the motorbikes were being destroyed and the police did not allow them to go in and grab one for themselves.

Throughout the ordeal, power lines caught fire, sending sparks flying and forcing people to take cover. At the same time, numerous loud explosions were heard coming from the premises.

Three firefighters were reportedly injured during their attempt to put the blaze out.

The Observer was told that the Jamaica Fire Brigade had received a call alerting it to the fire at 12:08 pm. Units from Trench Town initially responded, but according to a firefighter who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, the magnitude of the fire was so great that units had to be requested from other stations.

“There were units from York Park, Half-Way-Tree, Rollington Town, Port Royal, Stony Hill, Portmore, and Spanish Town,” the firefighter said, while pointing to the difficulty they experienced accessing water at the scene.

“The water challenges were expected because of the drought conditions. A lot of the hydrants have no water or low water pressure and it was a massive fire,” he added.

Up to 6:00 pm, the fire had not been fully extinguished.