Labasa Town administrator Doreen Miller has applauded the quick response by police in clearing the town when the fire broke out in the main street on Tuesday.
She said the quick response had saved people and resulted in no reports of casualties.
“From what I gathered is that police, they did a very good job and did it pretty quickly because when I got there the area was cordoned off and we are grateful for that,” she said.
“The destruction of the seven shops, however, would have an economic impact in town with unemployment of people and the incident is a shock to our system.
“No one expected it and the magnitude of having the fire start from one shop and spread to six others means business loss for the town.”
Ms Miller had also thanked the firefighters for their work which saved more shops from being destroyed. The incident, she added, would definitely have an economic impact on Labasa Town.
“But I believe they will build back better and continue to contribute to the town’s economy.”
