Fire Destroys – By Kisean Joseph
Fire Destroys Lower Gambles
A fire tore through a commercial building in Lower Gambles on Friday afternoon, gutting several medical and legal offices and forcing at least one doctor to make a desperate dash through thick smoke to salvage chemotherapy drugs for his patients.
The blaze, which broke out around 12:45 pm, drew fire tenders from St. John’s, All Saints, Coolidge, and the former US Navy base after the scale of the fire necessitated island-wide backup.
According to reports, crews from the St. John’s Fire Station arrived first and found a 73-by-154-foot concrete structure well alight. Water from the tenders was used to begin firefighting operations while additional units were summoned.
The building, known as the Gambles Medical Center, housed a number of businesses, including Chef World, the law offices of Wason & Company, Rudd & Associates, and the medical practices of Dr. Bernard Wong, Dr. Edda Hadeed, Dr. Hanybal Yazigi, Dr. Vernetta Rogers, and Dr. Sharon Cordner.
The building’s contents reportedly suffered both fire and smoke damage.
Among the most dramatic accounts to emerge was that of Dr. Yazigi, whose oncology practice, Oncomed 268, operated from the building. He told Observer Media that furniture and all but one computer were lost, and that firefighters eventually prevented further entry for safety reasons.
However, before that order came, Dr. Yazigi said he made a second attempt to re-enter the building alone.
“I went inside by myself with the intention of saving all of my patients’ chemo medication,” he said. “I was able to get out 80% of the chemo drugs that my patients will be receiving in the next few weeks before the roof basically started to collapse.”
He described the conditions inside as perilous, saying the smoke was suffocating and that he continued to feel its effects well into the weekend.
“It was really, really rough,” Dr. Yazigi said. “But thankfully, I was able to save my patients’ medication so that they can continue getting treatment.”
He said his practice has since re-established its telephone lines and will begin taking calls from today, April 7. Patients with existing appointments have been assured they will be seen, though they are asked to call for further information.
He also noted that the response from the medical community had offered some relief amid the loss.
“We have been pleasantly overwhelmed with the love and the solidarity and the support of our colleagues in the medical fraternity, who’ve offered us their own offices to see patients,” he said.
Dr. Edda Hadeed, a long-time pediatrician whose office walls once held a living history of her patients, said her first thoughts were of relief that no one was physically harmed.
“All I keep thinking is, thank God nobody got hurt, thank God it was offices and not homes,” she said. “The amount of love that has poured out since yesterday is unbelievable. It makes me feel very fortunate.”
In a notice to her patients and a Facebook post, internist Dr. Sharon Cordner confirmed that her practice is temporarily closed due to the fire. She said she remains reachable by email while working through next steps and pledged to provide updates on resuming services as soon as a timeline is available.
President of the Medical Association of Antigua and Barbuda, Dr. Alafea Stevens, also expressed solidarity and concern for those impacted.
Observer Media reached out to Dr. Bernard Wong, the building’s owner and a dentist who also operated from the facility. He described the event as very sensitive and asked for understanding at this time. Others who were affected likewise requested privacy.
The Fire Brigade is investigating the origin of the blaze. No cause has been established at this time.
