Fire officials were on the scene of a fire early this morning at the Salvation Army’s thrift store on Mason Hall Street, The City.

Divisional Officer in charge of the Central Division for the Barbados Fire Service, Tremelle Perch, said crews received a call at 5:28 a.m. reporting a house fire in the area.

“We responded from the Port Fire Station and Bridgetown Fire Station with two water tenders and one tanker,” Perch explained. “When we got here, the one structure was engulfed in flame.”

He said firefighters were able to contain the blaze before it spread further.

“We managed to confine the fire to one structure. I want to commend the work of the fire officers once again for limiting it to the damage that it had,” he said.

There were reports that flames may have affected a nearby property, but Perch indicated that a formal investigation would determine the full circumstances.

He noted that the major damage was to the ceiling of the Salvation Army building, but added that the structure was still intact, for the most part.

Major Robert Pyle, Divisional Commander of the Salvation Army Barbados Division, said he was alerted to the fire shortly after it began. and

On arrival, he observed emergency personnel on site and damage to the building. “The roof was partly on fire and inside the building, the ceiling had collapsed and we had extensive damage inside of the thrift store,” he said, noting that clothing and other items were destroyed by fire and water.

Pyle said some doors had to be forced open during firefighting efforts, adding to the damage. He indicated that a full assessment has not yet been completed as fire officers were still on location.

While the Salvation Army does not operate its thrift store on Sundays, Pyle confirmed that it would not open tomorrow.

“For Monday, the thrift store will not be open, but we have to assess the damage and what we can do,” he said, pointing out that the collapsed ceiling represents major structural damage.