Merchants are estimating their losses at RD$500 to RD$700 million as a result of a blaze that consumed an industrial building at the Merca Santo Domingo farm produce market in northern Santo Domingo on Sunday, 8 June 2025. The fire broke out after 5pm when the market had closed.
As reported, most of the merchants were uninsured. The government has said it will assist the merchants to restore their businesses. The merchants lost their inventories.
65 to 100 merchants have lost their merchandise and seek restitution from the government. The merchants report losses in their stocks of rice, beans, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks, among other goods.
The authorities have yet to give an explanation as to what caused the fire. The market falls under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. Initial reports say that the firefighters were slow to get to the task and initially did not have enough water supplies to put out the blaze that started slow but turned into a huge blaze due to the inflammables in the building.
Merca Santo Domingo fresh produce vendors that were not impacted will continue open. The market is the largest fresh produce market in Greater Santo Domingo.
Leoncio Ortega Alcantara, speaking for the affected merchants, called for a firefighter station. Said the firefighters took too long to arrive. Alberto Leroux said he had four stations and lost it all in one shot. He hoped for help from the Presidency. He said they lost all their inventory.
On Tuesday, 9 June 2025, Minister of the Presidency Jose Ignacio Paliza met with the representatives of the merchants at Merca Santo Domingo to coordinate state assistance.
“El Merca is not just a commercial hub; it is a key component in ensuring food security for the Greater Santo Domingo area. We are already working to restore its operations, safeguard the jobs generated here, and guarantee that products continue to reach Dominican families’ tables uninterrupted,” the top ranking official emphasized.
Since the early hours of Monday morning, brigades from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Emergency Operations Center (COE), structural technicians, firefighters, and other institutions were working on damage assessment, cleanup, and evaluation of the affected area, in coordination with El Merca’s administration.
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El Dia
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10 June 2025