A fire outbreak interrupted the quietness of Savannah Street Bamenda at about 3am Tuesday, destroying shops, warehouses, a, small businesses.
Residents woke up that morning to see the charred remains of goods in affected shops .
“I can’t believe this is my warehouse now in ashes, what has taken me years to build has gone down within hours,” said a businessman.
Eyewitnesses say that the blaze wad fueled by flammable goods stored in the area.
Desperate efforts from locals to extinguish the flames using buckets of water and sand could not contain the fire.
The property damage is worth millions of francs CFA.
“The fire was uncontrollable. We did everything we could, but it kept spreading,” one local said.
Residents also expressed frustration over the absence of firefighters at the scene.
Witnesses allege that the fire fighters did not respond to their calls.
“We repeatedly call even the private contacts of army rescue here in Bamenda but we were told the lone functional vehicle is currently down and cannot move,” said one of the shop owners.
“This is a recurring issue with the old equipment of the army rescue unit in Bamenda, the extend of damage here could have been prevented,” said a resident.
Locals are now calling for the urgent modernisation of firefighting equipment in Bamenda.
“If the army rescue unit had better tools and vehicles, they could have saved some of the property,” a business owner lamented.
Authorities are further advising business owners to prioritize safety by ensuring their electrical installations meet recommended standards.
Meanwhile, victims of the fire are pleading for support to rebuild their businesses and recover from the heavy losses.
