An early Saturday morning fire outbreak in the biggest market in
The Gambia at Serekunda, about 11 kilometres outside Banjul, the
capital caused damage estimated at D5 million (US$250, 000).
The police and fire brigade on the spot were unable to ascertain the cause of the fire, but told APA that they were going to investigate.
This is not the first time this market has been gutted by fire. Previous outbreaks have often been attributed to over-loaded electrical connections or faulty wiring, mainly caused by illegal connections by stall owners.
The fire outbreak, which was brought under control at dawn, started at about 3am. It took the intervention of fire brigade stations from Serekunda, Bakau and Kotu to bring it under control.
Although the fire did not affect the main market, but it swept through some adjoining makeshift stalls selling second hand clothing, palm oil and fashion-wear.
Speaking to APA on the fire outbreak, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kanifing Municipal Council under whose jurisdiction the market is, Abdoulie Sanyang said that he was awakened by a friend and told that the market was on fire. He however said they did not know the cause of the fire but that they were going to investigate it.
Traffic was disrupted for hours near the market, which is situated in the centre of Serekunda, as the police cordoned off the area in order to keep away the curious on-lookers.