MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – A massive fire ripped through Mogadishu’s Suuq Ba’ad market on Monday night, killing at least one person and destroying hundreds of shops in what business owners have described as a catastrophic failure of emergency response services.
Suuq Ba’ad, the second-largest marketplace in the Somali capital, was engulfed in flames reportedly sparked by an electrical fault. The blaze quickly spread across the densely packed market, reducing entire sections to ash and rubble.
Witnesses and traders accused authorities of failing to deploy firefighting teams in time to contain the fire. “The government response was nonexistent when we needed it most,” one business owner told local media.
Despite its population of over four million, Mogadishu has only a handful of fire engines—some operated by the government and others privately owned, including by the telecommunications giant Hormuud. These resources are widely considered inadequate for dealing with large-scale fires, particularly in crowded commercial districts.
A committee of business leaders is being formed to assess the damage and meet with affected traders to determine the scale of losses. Many are calling for urgent investment in emergency services to prevent similar disasters in the future.
Fires are a recurring hazard in Mogadishu’s markets, where poor infrastructure and lack of regulation often exacerbate the impact of such incidents.
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