Approximately six Food Basket Market Place employees are expected to be interviewed by investigating fire prevention officers from the Central Division’s Fire Headquarters in Chaguanas today.
The employees are going to face a tough interrogation because firefighters believe arson could also have led to Tuesday’s multi-million dollar blaze that completely destroyed the Chaguanas business.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian during a visit to the scene yesterday, a fire officer, who wished not to be identified, said investigations were ongoing but they had not yet ruled out arson.
He said investigating officers, who returned to the scene yesterday morning, could not investigate properly because there were small explosions and small patches of fire re-igniting throughout the building overnight into yesterday. He said there were even parts of the building the officers could not access yesterday because of falling objects.
“It is very dangerous right now but the fire officers have been here ever since. We are interchanging teams, where shifts are relieving shifts, just to have round-the-clock monitoring and ongoing operations to extinguish small fires that would reignite.
“The fire officers here are working feverishly and doing their best selflessly,” the fire officer added.
The T&T Guardian understands that management has decided to absorb the 65 displaced workers to other branches, including Arima, from as early as today. A shuttle service will also be provided for workers.
While the T&T Guardian was there yesterday, some of male workers at the establishment were seen resting under a tent. They said they had been there assisting in removing items from cold storage and taking charge of other duties in and around the premises.
The supermarket’s owner, Rasheed Mohammed, was on site yesterday morning but left around midday.
According to reports, at about 3.25 pm on Tuesday, employee Massiah Arthur, 17, was packing toilet paper in the upstairs warehouse when he noticed a fire in an area where bleach and insecticide sprays were stored. He said when he saw the blaze he raised an alarm but within minutes the entire upper floor was completely engulfed in the flames.