Fire causes huge damage in Juba Market
By Jack Daniels
December 20, 2007 (JUBA) – A fire has caused huge damage in Juba market killing three People and many furniture and other commodities have been reported lost with the estimated value of SDG 10,000,000 in kind.
The fire broke out on Wednesday 19 December in the evening among the furniture shops and other business structures and storehouses of the local businessmen at Konyokonyo Market in Juba, just before midnight yesterday’ night. It burned fiercely for many hours, and even after it was under control sent great volumes of smoke rolling out over the waters of the Bay.
Names of the dead could not be identified immediately since all the investigative parties and relatives were not available.
Nobody knows exactly the cause of the fire but suspects the fire might have been caused by electricity, cooking gas and the petrol and paraffin stoves. Evidences could not be established immediately since all the witnesses were also the fire fighters.
Fire brigade arrived at the scene later after two hours. The understaffed fire brigade could not have all the necessary manpower needed to reinforce the native fire fighters to put off the blaze.
Konyo Konyo markets is reported to have always experience such fire every end of the year. “This is not the first time we have seen fire destroying our things in this market” said one of Juba residents
“One wonder, if this has happened many times, what would be behind it? Some people may be burning it intentionally to scare small business people to leave the place,” said ” Sarah Alfonso.
“We have lost our stocks of cereal, okra, wheat flower, sugar and the charcoal as well. We were sleeping when we heard noisy sound of cry out for help. We could not rescue anything since our live was also threatened by fire that has caught the veranda” she added.
Local business men and women in Konyo Konyo market appeal to the government of Central Equatoria and GoSS to help them and establish the cause of this excessive fires every year as this has become a security issue.
They also appealed for help from the government to compensate their loses. The market also have unlicensed businesses and there are many people are loitering around and have residents in this market.
(ST)