Well known watering hole Smokey and Bunty, located along the Western Main Road, St James, was destroyed by a fire which started in an adjacent food business, Sweet Lanyap.
According to fire officials, the bar, food business and a house upstairs the two establishments caught fire around 5 pm yesterday.
FSSO Sylvester Reyes told the media by the time fire officers responded the entire building, estimated at $5 million, was already engulfed in flames. The value of the goods inside, they said, was valued at an additional $200,000.
“I cannot determine if there was any violation in the building at this point. I know we carry out inspections from time-to-time and this building has passed investigation in previous times,” Reyes said, adding that the cause of the fire was unknown.
Upstairs the bar was a home with one tenant, 55-year-old Kelvin Chang. Chang, who has trouble moving around, was rescued before the fire reached upstairs, Reyes said.
“He had some trouble getting out when the fire started but he got out safely. Appliances came from Four Roads and Wrightson Road and we were here within one minute of receiving the call.
“As for persons saying we took long, I don't believe so but I can answer that generally and say that even with our sirens we have to face traffic when dealing with these types of calls,” Reyes added.
Speaking with the media at the scene, owners of the bar — Renaldo “Bunty” Munro and Lisa McKenzie — said they hoped to have the business back up and running within a few weeks. Both said the bar did not suffer as much damage as the other two places, saying most of it was water damage.
“We have to assess the damages to determine the exact value of the loss but right now we just want to thank God that no one died or was injured. I think in a couple of weeks we will be back on our feet,” McKenzie said.
Those who flocked to St James to get a glimpse of what was described as a “landmark” and “iconic building” looked sombre.
Some with camera phones and tablets in hand took pictures of the shell of the popular spot in the city that never sleeps. Some were heard lamenting that they have known the establishment “all their drinking life” and questioned where will they go now for a cold beer.
Some of the most well known visitors to the pub included former president George Maxwell Richards and former prime minsters Patrick Manning and Basdeo Panday.
The bar was also visited by sportsmen and tourists, including Brazilian footballer Cafu, cricket legend Brian Lara and football stars Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy. The bar has survived several attempts by police to shut it down and even bomb attacks in 2005.