Products, roofs and houses were reduced to ashes at the Masi-Manimba shopping center, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, in the capital of the territory. A fire, the origin of which remains unknown, broke out around 8 p.m., while several traders were closing their establishments. The fire mainly ravaged two large commercial houses, called “Fondation Mickaël”, as well as other small neighboring structures. Nothing could be saved in the areas affected by the flames, while items in some adjacent houses were damaged during their hasty evacuation by young people who came to help.
The causes of the fire remain unclear. Neither the police nor residents could explain the origin of the flames. Some youths tried to put out the fire using sand, but no water was available to control the flames. A few courageous people destroyed roofs to limit the spread of the fire.
The residents, interviewed on site, expressed their dismay at this unexpected event.
“We did not understand how this happened. The fire started in the first house of the Mickaël Foundation where nothing could be recovered. Suddenly, we saw smoke, and the young people understood that it was was a fire. Then the flames spread, they lost everything, everything was gone, it’s really pitiful,” said a mother we met on RN1.
Masi-Manimba does not have a fire service, a situation which has increased the distress of the population.
“There is no firefighting vehicle in Masi-Manimba, not even water to put out the fire. We buy water from REGIDESO, but it stops flowing at 5 p.m. Where could we find it? water at this hour to put out this fire?” asked a witness to the fire.
Masi-Manimba, a territory of more than one million five hundred thousand inhabitants, covers 14,327 km² and remains devoid of essential infrastructure to manage such disasters.
Jonathan Mesa in Masi-Manimba
