Millions of dollars worth of groceries were early this morning destroyed in a fire at the Stabroek Market Bazaar, which is believed to have been caused by a faulty power pole.
Around 1:30 am, phone card vendors in front of the market began to raise alarms of fire when they saw smoke.
One vendor told this newspaper that he noticed that an electrical wire on the GPL post had ignited.
It took about twenty minutes to extinguish the flames and gain access to the area.
The fire caused a transformer located just above the Chan and Brian’s Grocery to explode.
According to owner of the store, Chandroutie Dass known as Chan, the explosion at the transformer caused a meter located in her stall to spark and later start a fire.
The woman said that during the last few months she and other stall holders made several reports to the power company about a faulty pole but to no avail.
In light of the damage to her stall, the business woman is seeking some sort of compensation from GPL.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene fire-fighters were working to contain the blaze.
GPL took some time to disconnect power to the area resulting in a second explosion on the electric pole, causing hysteria among the vendors.
The extent of the damage to the nearby stalls is unclear.
