Africa-Press – Tanzania. A fire brigade has managed to extinguish a burning fire at the Dar es Salaam’s popular market—Kariakoo that burnt for over five hours.
Authorities said they will launch an investigation into its roots but observers and eyewitnesses faulted the technology employed by the Fire and Rescue Unit as well as the management of the market.
“The market has no fire detectors neither does it have automated fire extinguishers,” Joyce Moses, a trader whose properties were burnt to the ground complained. “The market has normal fire extinguishers and because of such poor technology I have lost everything.”
It was not easy to point who lit the market. But, Ilala Regional Fire and Rescue Commander, Elisa Mgisha told reporters the force was informed at around 8:40 p.m over a burning fire at the market. “We arrived here on time the only problem we faced was a shortage of water as we had to drive to and from the airport where there are working fire hydrants,” he said.
Mgisha detailed that the fire rose from the upper floor (second-floor) and escalated through the ground floor.
He said the unit managed to intercept and rescued the nearby market. Almost everything inside the market was burnt as of 1:40 a.m.
He acknowledged that there are fire extinguishers in the market and people have been trained how to use them, unfortunately, the market was closed.
“The extinguishers need humans to operate,” he said and thanked the team that managed to fight the fire for hours amid challenging working environment.
Komba Thabit the Kariakoo Area Chairman says the incident of such magnitude is the first he has witnessed since the establishment of the market over four decades ago.
Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Amos Makala visited the market and ordered the police forces to intensify security in the area.
It has not been established the damage associated with the fire incident but billions of shillings—valued goods and their value chain have been compromised.
