The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) wishes to advise that fire has damaged approximately 2000 sq. ft. of the eastern section of the Kingston Craft Market resulting in the destruction of 18 shops. No one was injured in the incident and no damage was done to the remaining 107 shops.
The fire which began approximately 2:35am on April 27, 2017 was contained by units from the Jamaica Fire Brigade preventing further loss to the other shops in the complex.
The UDC which met with the vendors this morning is putting in place recovery measures such as clean-up operations, grief counselling, business continuity initiatives and inventory storage. The Corporation is also working in partnership with the authorities of the Jamaica Fire Brigade and the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation and has had dialogue with the Jamaica Vendors and Higglers Association and the Kingston Craft Market executive.
Support is welcomed from the public and private sector as clean-up and restoration efforts continue.
While assessments continue to fully ascertain the value of the damage, it is anticipated that once the Jamaica Fire Brigade has completed their examinations then the facility should be reopened in short order. Once reopened, the craft market will continue its regular operating hours Monday to Saturday 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. and Wednesdays at 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.
The Kingston Craft Market building which is fully insured has benefited under the redevelopment plans for downtown Kingston from rehabilitative works including the removal and replacement of the existing roof, refurbishing of bathrooms, painting, landscaping and the upgrading of a rainwater disposal system
The redevelopment of downtown Kingston and Port Royal is aligned with the Vision 2030 Jamaica national development plan.
For further information, please contact:
The Corporate Relations and Marketing Department
Urban Development Corporation
12 Ocean Boulevard
Kingston, Jamaica
Tel 🙁 876) 656-8031
Email cr@udcja.com
www.facebook.com/urbandevelopmentcorporation
April 27, 2017