Members of the Carnival fraternity involved in the art of costume making could be severely affected as they prepare for next year’s presentations following a fire which destroyed a warehouse belonging to Samaroo’s Group of Companies at Boundary Road, San Juan.
The blaze, which was said to have started just after 3 am yesterday, destroyed stock valued at more than $10 million.
Among the supplies that went up in flames were feathers, beads, spandex, stockings and fabrics which were recently brought into the country and housed at the company’s newest premises which they moved into on May 1.
Managing director Steve Samaroo yesterday described the fire as “a blow to the Carnival industry.”
Concerned how the loss would impact their loyal customers, Samaroo assured that they would not be increasing the prices of available stock.
However, he did express fears that competitive suppliers would use this tragedy to profit as they in-turn might increase their prices.
Explaining that the early-morning fire had begun at Joseph Nahous and Company Limited warehouse, situated next door to them, Samaroo said despite the efforts of fire officers to prevent it from spreading, his warehouse was razed.
Seeking to assure the 20 affected employees that they would not be out of a job for Christmas, Samaroo said the other branches at San Fernando and MovieTowne would continue to operate as normal as they still “had stock at other warehouses.”
Although the San Juan warehouse was completely destroyed, Samaroo stressed that the retail business which was set up at the front of the building remained intact but they would be closed for the remainder of the week while they seek to clean up and do general house-keeping.
Upset over the impact on the local and regional industries, Samaroo said while “It would be difficult to replenish stock due to the short Carnival season,” the company was expecting goods shortly “which were on the water.”
Citing the difficulty in obtaining foreign exchange to purchase supplies initially, Samaroo said he doesn’t expect this problem would be resolved quickly, which would make it harder now to purchase additional supplies on short notice.
However, he said he was now forced to locate a suitable warehouse to store the expected goods which should arrive in the country shortly.
Meanwhile, owner of Joseph Nahous and Company Limited warehouse where the fire initially began, businessman Michael Nahous said he was first alerted by a watchman around 3.30 am that there had been an explosion at the facility following an electricity outage.
While Nahous operations were affected, at least five other companies who were renting from him suffered a blow.
They include US Appliances, Compasses Garments, Just For Hair, Norman Industries and Freezy Beverages.
Estimating losses between $30 and $40 million, Nahous said 15 employees were affected.
Operating at that location for the past 20 years, Nahous said he was in a similar position as Samaroo as he too, had stock at the port for which he urgently needed to find a warehouse to store the items.
Up to 2 pm yesterday, fire officers who responded to the initial call about the fire, had yet to returned to their respective stations.
Officials at the scene were unable to confirm the cause but revealed that appliances from the Wrightson Road Headquarters, Tunapuna and San Juan Fire Stations had responded and were assisted by the Water and Sewerage Authority who provided trucks with water to supplement fire-fighting efforts.