This month will be long remembered for the devastating Front Street fire.

Sweeping through a three-storey building in the heart of Hamilton, the fire ravaged a host of local businesses in the early hours of July 21.

Fortunately no one was injured, however, the fire did cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to tourist shop, Onion Jack’s which estimates it lost stock to be valued at around $300,000. It was a loss that the business could not recover from.

Chewstick, along with seven other businesses under the umbrella of Queen Management Services, were also hard hit – with Bermuda Executive Services expected to have lost “18 years of work”.

Fire fighters attended the scene shortly after 4.30am and tackled huge flames amid thick black smoke for several hours. Sixteen vehicles and more than 30 fire personnel battled the fire, which had started to subside thanks to heavy rain at 7.30am.

It took until mid-afternoon for the area to be deemed safe enough for Front Street to reopen to traffic.

The Chewstick Foundation was one of those greatest impacted by the fire.

They lost not only their physical space, but costly music equipment, furniture and instruments, as well as irreplaceable items in the form of cultural artefacts and historical archives.

Gavin Djata Smith, the executive director, anticipated the majority of losses would not be covered by their insurance.

Without significant financial support the future of the foundation was uncertain.

Mr Smith said Chewstick would be “inoperable” for the immediate future and urged supporters to help the charity get back on its feet.

Scores of local businesses came to the art charities aid, including Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society which raised $1,221 during a special music event after the fire.

Others also jumped on board including Mexican restaurant Rosa’s, which raised $3,802 and HSBC Bermuda’s Retail banking and wealth management department, which donated $1,000; and local entertainment and community website BermyNet.com, which raised more than $2,000 by donating 10 cents for every photo taken and posted over the Cup Match weekend.

More than ten creative businesses housed in the Somers Building also got on board by hosting a ‘happy hour’ and evening of music as a fundraiser.

Also in July, Bermudian Winston Godwin and Greg DeRoche became the island’s first gay couple to apply to get married in Bermuda.

The pair, who live in Toronto, had their application to marry rejected by the Registrar-General. Mark Pettingill, their lawyer, then applied for a judicial review of the decision.

In other news, there were several high-profile deaths this month.

On July 11, the island was saddened to hear of the loss of Johnny Barnes, known affectionately as ‘Mr Happy’ at age 93.

Well known around the world for bringing cheer to locals and visitors, Mr Barnes was known for waking up early to wave to morning commuters each week day – rain, blow or shine.

A week before, Jacqueline Swan, wife of Sir John Swan, died at the age of 72 after a fight with lung cancer.

July 1: Members of a Joint Select Committee are chosen to examine the possibility of a living wage in Bermuda. MPs Rolfe Commissiong, Lawrence Scott, Leah Scott, Shawn Crockwell, Mark Pettingill and senators Kim Wilkerson and Vic Ball will make up the committee.

July 2: Hamilton Princess opens its new spa ‘Exhale’, part of the hotel’s $100 million renovation.

July 2: Gay people will now be able to give blood in Bermuda after the Bermuda Hospitals Board relaxed its donor criteria.

July 4: Documentary footage on the state of the island’s ageing airport terminal was released by Bermuda’s Government showing leaking roofs, rats, rust and graphic footage of storm damage.

July 6: The community is urged to help a struggling charity, Project Action, a scheme providing free transportation for seniors. They were facing closure without help from supporters.

July 7: Another local charity, Hands of Love, asks the community for help after running out of food vouchers to assist those in need.

July 9: A 38-year-old Canadian man visiting the island is found dead at Dawkins Manor, a Paget guesthouse, after what appears to be drowning in the swimming pool.

July 11: Johnny Barnes, known affectionately as ‘My Happy’, dies at 93.

July 12: Young mother Kamala Smith dies at 33 after a five-year battle with cancer. The wife of footballer Nakia Smith, Ms Smith had leiomyosarcoma – a cancer of the smooth muscle and connective tissues.

July 13: Bermudian Winston Godwin and his fiancé became the first gay couple to argue in court for the right to marry on the island.

July 14: A Bill allowing adopted children to get Bermudian status was passed in the House of Assembly through the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Amendment (Adoption) Act 2016.

July 15: Stacey Dunn, a local mother, believes her home’s tank water is the cause of her sickness, after years of illness and frustration over the lack of an accurate diagnosis. Two water tests show the water from her tank is “not microbiologically fit for human consumption”.

July 19: The island bids farewell Johnny Barnes with a funeral procession from Hamilton to St George’s.

July 21: Tributes poured in for popular hospitality worker Dario Casarano, a former senior manager at Café Cairo, dies.

July 22: A man is stabbed to death outside a home in Woodlawn Road, Sandys. He is later identified as 23-year-old Job-Solomon Tucker.

July 26: A 28-year-old Pembroke man suffers life-threatening injuries after a collision between a motorbike and car on South Shore Road in Warwick.

July 28: An affidavit from Michael MacLean alleging corruption in Government are published by The Royal Gazette after they are made public. Craig Cannonier, the former Premier, Michael Fahy, the Minister for Home Affairs, and Mark Pettingill, the former Attorney-General all strenuously deny the allegations made in the Hamilton Waterfront deal case.