Five business owners were affected by an early morning fire at a popular business place in Debe, yesterday.
While the booths at the lower floor of the two-storey building suffered mostly smoke and soot damage, the rear upper residence appeared gutted.
Rubble and debris from the structure were scattered on the compound, at the corner of Wellington and SS Erin Road, Debe.
The building is owned by Edwin Persad but he was not available for comment and the cost of the damage could not be immediately ascertained.
Rosetta Crawford, owner of Rosetta’s Weightloss Cafe, the booth nearest to where the most damage occurred, said she had rented the place a little over four months ago.
Crawford said, she might have to close her business for the rest of the week, as she had no supply of electricity or water.
Aside from the gutted air-condition unit at the front of her booth, Crawford said thick smoke and soot covered most of the inside of her business. She said that both doors were damaged as fire officers had to force their way in to gain entry.
Also affected were Vassan’s Pharmacy, A&A Convenience Centre and DVDs 4 Us.
Mukesh Boodlal, manager at the DVD store, said he expected a return of the electricity and would remain open until the close of the business day yesterday.
Fire officers from the Mon Repos Fire Prevention Unit were on the scene taking photos yesterday.
One officer said the cause of the fire was unknown and the matter was under investigation.