The main warehouses of the Mercado Nuevo in Villas Agricolas area of Santo Domingo were destroyed by a major blaze yesterday, Sunday, 4 January 2015. City government authorities told Listin Diario that the losses at the Avenida Duarte market were estimated in the millions. The fire, which started at around 3pm, was put out by the firefighters at 7:30pm.
President Medina visited the produce market in December and promised improvements to put an end to the poor standards of hygiene. The market continued operating despite the opening of Merca Santo Domingo, which was originally created to serve as the main wholesalers market serving Santo Domingo, a role the Mercado Nuevo continued to hold until the fire. An estimated 1,700 vendors may be put out of work, as reported in Listin Diario.
Market traders’ spokesman Miguel Minaya said that while the central structure was gutted, the areas where the produce is sold were the least affected by the blaze.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2015/1/5/351397/Incendio-destruye-mercado-Nuevo-de-avenida-Duarte