A major catastrophe was averted at one of the most popular stores in St. John’s on
Saturday mid-morning when the staff of Cool and Smooth, with assistance from
members of the public, kept in check, a fire that started in one of their storerooms.
Located immediately east of the Vegetable Market on the highly congested Lower
All Saints Road at that time of day, the fire, believed to have been the result of an
electrical issue, started in a storeroom on the northern side of the building.
Immediately, the staff sprang into action utilizing a combination of fire
extinguishers and water, with assistance from members of the public who helped
keep the fire from spreading to the main store.
The fire department reported that the call came in at 10:31 on Saturday morning
and the department responded with three fire tenders: two from the St. John’s
Station and one from All Saints.
The department was responding to its 207 th fire call for the year; a figure reflecting
fire calls from all stations.
The department could not give an estimate of the cost of the damage to the goods
in the storeroom. It indicated that much of the damage would have been caused by
the smoke that filled the room and not necessarily by the fire itself.
