Traders have lamented heavy losses resulting from a fire accident at the Jebel Market in the South Sudanese capital, Juba.

Some of the traders who spoke to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday about the incident said that the inferno, which started at around 8 pm on Wednesday, December 28, consumed over 10 shops, three butcheries and goods worth thousands of Pounds.

Habdal Wuya, a businessman at Jebel Market, said he lost 700,000 South Sudanese Pounds and 150 US dollars as well as goods because of the fire.

“I came here yesterday and found my shop had already burned down. Inside my shop, I had 700,000 South Sudanese pounds plus 150 USD,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Sebit Anglos, the Chairperson of the Jebel Market Traders Union, said: “This fire outbreak was caused by the city power. We tried yesterday to quench it, but we were disappointed when the fire brigade came, and the water wasn’t enough.”

Anglos noted that the fire caused huge losses to the traders as most of them had commodities and money in the shops. He, however, said it is difficult to estimate the losses incurred by the traders.

Gen. Pascal Lado, Central Equatorial State Director of Civil Defense, said: “Maybe the fire erupted because of negligence because in that place there is no electricity. Somebody might have thrown a cigarette there, which later ignited,” Lado said.

“What I can tell the traders is that take care of the fire. And even in public, when you smoke, make sure you put out the fire,” he added.

For his part, Police Spokesperson Major General Daniel Justin said the authorities are investigating the cause of the unfortunate incident.

“We are still investigating it. We want to know the total damage and the rest of the required information in this incident,” Justin concluded.

The fire incident is not the first of its kind in the Jebel market. In February 2021, property worth 20,000 US dollars was lost after a fire razed shops and businesses in the same market.

Source: Radio Tamazuj