It's been close to 9 years since the last straw market fire which took place on Bay Street but on Saturday morning another fire destroyed the straw market on Cable Beach which housed 36 stalls.
Fire officials suspect arson to have started the blaze. As much as 70 people are out of work due to this disaster.
According to the Nassau Guardian Police Press Liaison Officer Sergeant Chrislyn Skippings said police received word of the fire sometime around 1:40 a.m. on Saturday.
"Fire services responded with six engines and met the entire structure engulfed in flames. The fire was brought under control and eventually extinguished," Skippings said.
The vendors said the loss of the structure dealt a serious blow to their livelihood.
"It's a disaster, a devastating blow to us," said Sheniqua Johnson, who sold her Bahamian souvenir wares from a stall at the site for the past three years.
"I lost everything and now just the thought of having to start over is something I just can't comprehend right now. I had a lot of stuff in there and it was all lost in the fire. This is a great damage to a lot of people, so we are going to need some assistance because this is our livelihood," Johnson said.
She estimated her losses to be between $3,000 and $5,000 in goods, including T-shirts, jewelry, towels, caps, and straw bags - all Bahamian souvenirs.
Many other vendors have been affected by this fire.
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