Somalia: Huge fire engulfs main market in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A raging fire engulfed the main market in Mogadishu, the Somali capital on Saturday, with traders reporting a huge loss of property, Garowe Online reports.

A witness reported that the inferno started at a petrol station and winds spread it rapidly through the market near Sanca junction in the capital's Kaaran district, razing large buildings, shops, and food stores.

“The fire razed about one square kilometer in an area filled with business premises and petrol stations. The cause of the blaze is still unknown," Hassan Abdi, a witness told GO by phone from the scene.

A plume of black Smoke billowing from the marketplace could be seen covering a section of the city as firefighters fought their way in to contain the blaze.

The fire persisted for hours before it was extinguished, said Abdi.

Police said they are still investigating the cause of the fire but traders have blamed it on power fault. Traders have reported huge losses property due to the fire.

No human causalities from the fire have so far been reported.

Mogadishu which has a small fire brigade has seen series of inferno incidents, which largely caused property losses in a city which is recovering from decades of war.

GAROWE ONLINE