Massive Fire Guts Anand Low Price Supermarket In Gulf View — Millions In Losses, Employees Jobless
A massive fire has gutted the premises of Anand Low Price Supermarket in Gulf View early this morning (Sunday 8th February, 2026), causing millions of dollars in damage and leaving multiple employees without jobs. Bentley's, a 24-hour hotel located in the lower section of the building, was spared from the blaze, sustaining only minimal water damage during firefighting efforts.
Senior Fire Officer Ansar Ali confirmed the fire consumed much of the two-storey property shortly before 4:00 AM, although Officers were able to contain the destruction to the upper floor.
According to Ali, the total value of losses as a result of the fire has not yet been determined, but accounting for stock and structural damage, he estimated the figure would be in the millions.
According to reports, the Fire Service was contacted around 3:43 AM and an appliance was swiftly dispatched from the Mon Repos Fire Station, arriving at the site within two (2) minutes. Upon arrival, Officers observed that the building had flames emanating from its Northern-facing front, and was at the time fully engulfed.
Given its structure, Ali said it was likely that the fire had been ongoing inside the supermarket for a long time, penetrating walls and doors and spreading slowly. As Officers arrived, he said they assessed the best points to enter the building, but found this difficult as the premises were secured with steel doors.
“We realized the doors around it, with the exception of the front, were steel doors with steel sheet and iron steel frames, it was very difficult to get into. The business people secure their premises for burglars and so on, but it is very challenging for us as Fire Officers to gain easy access,” he said.
As Officers began operations, Ali said they were also stalled by limited water supplies, at one point contacting the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to increase pressure in the area.
“When we started to fight the fire, the trucks we had were limited in capacity. One had 10,000 litres, the other had 4,000 to 5,000 and in the first ten (10) to fifteen (15) minutes, the water ran out.”
He added, “We established an incident command system and started putting things in place for water from nearby hydrants but the pressure was low. We communicated with WASA and they eventually increased pressure via their valve and during that time we [received] pumps two (2) and three (3), from Penal and Chaguanas. We had good support, man power and we had to control and prevent spread and do everything at the same time.”
Ali said the Fire Services could not say if the building was insured or not, but noted that no one was harmed in the event. He urged business owners to secure their premises to prevent fires, adding that the Service offers guidelines and inspections.
“We inspect premises and give them a list of requirements such as smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, alarm and detection systems and so on. We give them information about developing evacuation plans, storing items and flammables. We try to help them develop evacuation plans and train staff but in this case at that time of the night, staff would not have been there,” he said.
Investigations are continuing into the cause of the blaze.
More on this as it becomes available.
[Source: Trinidad Express]
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