Fire causes enormous damage at Bamenda main market

On February 22, 2024, a devastating fire outbreak occurred at the Bamenda Main Market in the North-West Region of Cameroon. This incident has left dozens of shops completely burned to ashes. The market, which stands as one of the largest in the region, serves as the economic lifeline of the town.

Incident Details

• Date and Time: The fire started around 6PM.
• Cause: The cause of the fire is said to be a short circuit that occurred in a cosmetic shop.
• Extent of Damage: Many traders have lost millions of FCFA in goods due to the fire.
• Response: The response from the firefighting unit was slow with little help from firefighting units being deployed to the scene, but the intensity of the flames appeared uncontrollable.

North West Governor Speaks

“We encourage the traders to remain hopeful and we are assuring that the government will come to their assistance. We are asking them to take conscious that they should implement security measures prescribed to them by the security services. We have already lost many properties, we do noot want to lose human beings. I want to also appreciate the role of the firefighters and the entire pooopulation of the City oof Bamenda who helped to avoid the fire forom extending to other areas.” Adolphe Lele L’Afrique said.

Journalist decries lack of conscience

Pedmia Shatu said she was devasted seeing people taking pictures and videos of the incident without offering help. “Even if it was a little bucket of sand, you could help the shop owners by quenching the fire…I saw people running to the place with their phones to take pictures and forward…We are not thinking anymore, we are just acting…it is disappointing, very very disappointing…,” she lamented.

Emotional Impact

Traders are devastated, watching their investments from years of hard work go up in smoke. The Bamenda Main Market fire outbreak is a tragic event that has deeply affected the livelihoods of many. Urgent measures are needed to prevent such devastating incidents in the future. This comes barely weeks after parts of the food market were reduced to ashes.

Times are hard with the downward trend of the economy, it is a tough one for traders who have to muster courage to move forward.