Bahamas: Massive fire sweeps through Fish Fry, destroying beloved eatery Goldie’s 

Bahamas: A massive blaze at Arawak Cay’s Fish Fry in the Bahamas which burned for an hour left several popular restaurants in the area destroyed or severely damaged on Sunday. Heavy smoke swept across the western Nassau waterfront as crowds gathered helplessly and watched the beating heart of Bahamian street cuisine burn before their eyes.

Crews from the Royal Bahamas Police Force Fire Services responded quickly and faced intense heat, fast spreading flames as well as structures built so tightly that once one caught fire, the others became instant fuel. Following the fire, Goldie’s restaurant was seen completely razed while the neighbouring ones including Scrape and Rake were also seen completely engulfed in flames.

The officials, in their preliminary investigations, found that the fire started at Goldie’s following which it spread massively. The fire officers reported that the flames tore through several wooden structures with power lines also catching fire as the blaze became massive. The local vendors on the western end of the Fish Fry in the Bahamas also faced major losses as crews fought to contain the damage.

Authorities also confirmed that no injuries have been reported, but the physical damage is extensive and the emotional shock across the community is profound. Eyewitnesses described hearing popping sounds from gas lines and stored cooking materials as the flames spread. One bystander repeated words many have said for years “This place too close together, we been knowing a fire like this was bound to happen.”

A firefighter at the scene put it plainly, “Everything was too close, too connected. Once it jumped one stall, the rest didn’t stand a chance.”

Notably, the Fish Fry is one of the most recognised tourism and cultural hubs of the island nation with Goldies Conch House being the locals’ favourite spot to hangout.

Following this incident, government officials are expected to conduct a full investigation, but the community already knows the core issue which is the closeness of the structures that made this disaster inevitable.