Flames consumed the higher degree of Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Data restaurant early Saturday morning, leaving the Montego Bay institution severely broken and elevating questions on what sparked the damaging blaze.
Kitchen employees found the hearth round 1:45 a.m. on November 22 throughout in a single day meal preparation on the Hip Strip location. By the point Jamaica Hearth Brigade crews arrived, flames have been capturing by means of the roof of one of many space’s most recognizable eating spots.
Emergency response prevents whole loss
Firefighters labored shortly to include the state of affairs, bringing the blaze below management inside minutes. Appearing Superintendent Oneil Kerr, the brigade’s lead investigator for St. James, described discovering hearth pouring from the roof when groups arrived on scene.
The higher flooring bore the brunt of the harm. The eating space, bar, restrooms and workplace area all sustained vital hurt, although the total value gained’t be recognized till property house owners full their stock evaluation. Based mostly on what investigators noticed, the destruction seems substantial.
Remarkably, nobody was injured regardless of the depth of the hearth. The restaurant has remained closed whereas officers sift by means of particles and interview employees members about what they noticed that evening.
@jamaicagleaner A pre-dawn hearth brought on in depth harm to Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Data Restaurant and Bar on Jimmy Cliff Boulevard early Saturday, with hearth investigators probing the trigger after flames tore by means of the constructing’s higher ground. Appearing Superintendent Oneil Kerr, the Jamaica Hearth Brigade’s lead investigator for St James, mentioned the Montego Bay Hearth Station obtained the alarm at 1:48 a.m. and arrived to seek out hearth coming from the roof of the favored two-storey eatery at St James Place. Hearth investigators spent the morning sifting by means of particles and taking statements from employees who have been on the decrease degree when the alarm was raised. #GLNRToday ♬ unique sound – Jamaica Gleaner
Energy surge idea below investigation
The trigger stays formally undetermined, however hypothesis has centered on the constructing’s electrical system. Tracks and Data had been working on generator energy since Hurricane Melissa knocked out the primary electrical provide. Some imagine the hearth ignited when energy was restored to the constructing, although investigators haven’t confirmed this idea.
The restaurant sits on Montego Bay’s Hip Strip, a main vacationer hall that pulls guests from world wide. Bolt opened the sports-themed Caribbean eatery in 2018, a 12 months after retiring from aggressive athletics. The venue shortly grew to become an area favourite, mixing Jamaican delicacies with memorabilia celebrating the island’s athletic achievements.
Hurricane aid efforts proceed
Earlier than the hearth, the restaurant had been serving meals to communities devastated by Hurricane Melissa. The class 5 storm, which grew to become the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane on file, left widespread destruction throughout Jamaica.
The Olympic champion didn’t restrict his response to feeding displaced residents. He additionally visited William Knibb Memorial Excessive College in Martha Brae, his former faculty, distributing care packages after the ability sustained hurricane harm.
In video footage shared on-line, the sprinter spoke about witnessing the storm’s aftermath firsthand. He described seeing individuals washing on the riverside and struggling to course of the dimensions of destruction. The eight-time gold medalist informed Jamaicans he was there to assist in any method attainable.
His message emphasised that Jamaica gave him the platform to symbolize the nation on the world stage. The whole lot he achieved began at residence, he famous, and now that so many face hardships from the hurricane, he needed Jamaicans to know they weren’t alone. The nation would stand collectively and rebuild collectively.
What’s subsequent for the restaurant
Officers spent Saturday morning inspecting the scene and taking statements from staff who have been current when the hearth began. The investigation continues as crews work to ascertain precisely what occurred in these early morning hours.
The Hip Strip location represented a major funding in Jamaica’s tourism sector, an business essential to the nationwide economic system. With the restaurant shuttered indefinitely, questions linger about reconstruction timelines and whether or not the institution can recuperate from such in depth harm.
For now, the sports activities bar that celebrated Jamaica’s athletic excellence sits darkish and broken. The group that Bolt had been serving to by means of hurricane restoration now watches as one in every of their very own landmarks faces an unsure future. Investigators proceed piecing collectively proof, trying to find solutions about what turned a routine evening of meal preparation right into a devastating emergency.
The hearth provides one other problem to a area already dealing with hurricane restoration. As Jamaica works to rebuild from Melissa’s destruction, the lack of a distinguished enterprise on the Hip Strip serves as a reminder of how shortly circumstances can change, even for institutions tied to nationwide heroes.
