ADELPHI, St James – A fire, caused by the explosion of a cooking gas cylinder, razed a small shop in St James Monday evening leaving about $11 million in damage.

The building, which has stood in the Adelphi Square for the past 30 years, was used as a grocery store/bar. It was a popular spot for residents.

Two units from the Adelphi fire station responded to the blaze.

“If we had better equipment we would have done a better job,” said District Officer Wallace. “The fire units were faulty so we had to proceed with caution to get here. All the units are like that.”

They managed to save the adjoining building but were hampered by malfunctioning hydrants.

“We were back to days when people run with buckets of water to put out fire,” one resident said.

Firefighters called for back-up and two units arrived from Montego Bay, covering the 11-mile distance in about 30 minutes.

Keisha Clarke said the fire started as her aunt, Dolores Clark, cooked in the kitchen.

“Everything in the house burn up. We save some things in the shop, but everything in the house gone,” Keisha said.

A sombre Dolores was seen sitting in the yard of the Adelphi Police Station, going through the items salvaged from the fire.