A violent fire devastated, early this morning, the Exclusive hypermarketlocated in Yoff, sowing panic in the neighborhood and plunging its surroundings into darkness. The neighborhoods of the Biagui City and the ASECNA Citypowered by the same electrical network, were deprived of power at 5 a.m., while the flames devoured the establishment.
The disaster, the origin of which remains to be determined, broke out on the upper level of the restaurant Chicken Masters, before quickly spreading to the storefront and upper floors of the hypermarket. The 1st and 2nd floors, which served as storage for plastic utensils, textiles and decorations, fueled the intensity of the flames due to the highly flammable nature of the materials.
Faced with the threat of spread to neighboring businesses, extensive mobilization was necessary. Around ten fire tankers were deployed on site. The flames, visible several kilometers away, attracted many curious onlookers, helpless witnesses to the rapid destruction of the building.
The intervention of firefighters made it possible to contain the fire and avoid a wider catastrophe, but the material damage was considerable. For the moment, no human toll has been communicated, and the authorities are working to assess the extent of the losses while investigating the causes of the fire.
This event relaunches the debate on fire prevention in the country's large commercial structures, particularly those storing flammable products. While awaiting the conclusions of the investigations, residents of the surrounding neighborhoods are still having to deal with the impact of this tragedy, in particular the prolonged interruption of electricity.
