Alberto Lopez / Quadratin
Fatima Alfaro / Quadratin
Morelia, Mich., May 23, 2023. Three days after a fire that consumed 144 commercial spaces and caused the collapse of the attached public parking lot, the Mercado Independencia reopened its doors to tenants, sellers and buyers this Tuesday, May 23. ,
Around 6:00 pm, the doors to the compound were opened so that personnel from the Municipal Civil Defense and Fire Department Coordination could enter to verify the conditions of the areas to be released.
Immediately, tenants and vendors were able to verify the condition of their wares as well as completing cleaning operations and preparing to resume their economic activities.
So far, the sectors released to resume business in the Independencia market are fruits and vegetables; meat, chicken and fish; grocery; clothing, and gastronomy.
Available accesses are on Madero Avenue and Vicente Santamaria Street, while there is a partial opening on Andres del RÃo and Ana MarÃa Galaga Streets.
In the gastronomic area you can see fences and precautionary tapes that indicate the areas affected by the fire and where there is no structural damage, the public parking lot at risk in case it collapses again.
As visitors pass by, tenants of the Independencia Market invite them to visit the premises and make their purchases, to support those who experienced loss due to both the closing days and the accident.
At the intersection of Ana MarÃa Gallaga and Andrés del RÃo streets, municipal workers review structural safety conditions, along with debris removal and cleanup operations.
Despite the market’s determination to resume its activity, the impossibility of returning to its workplace and the imminent relocation of at least 166 suppliers, concentrated in the area of ​​greatest impact, remain uncertain for many with regard to the immediate future. Uncertainty remains.
Vendors gather around market department inspectors to locate areas they can temporarily occupy, as well as they drag boxes, dollies and wares to set themselves up around free areas.
Likewise, they question the organization that will be implemented, as most of the space around the Independencia market is assigned and regularly occupied.
With shovels and bags, they remove rubbish and waste, as well as perishable products, while Vicente Santamaria, Ana MarÃa Galaga and Andres del RÃo streets are closed to vehicular traffic, where Pedestrians are not allowed.
For their part, personnel from the Secretariat of Public Services have limited the access of journalists and cameramen around the most affected areas, due to “bad image”.
