Yaounde: Many stranded after fire ravages shops, school at Nkolmesseng.

Remains of the burnt buildings

Many traders and students in the Nkolmesseng neighbourhood in the Yaounde V Subdivision have been left stranded after wild flames ravaged business centres and a school. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of January 9, is said to have caused massive material damage, but with no human casualty.



An eyewitness, Gabriel Ndonfack, is quoted as having recounted that it was at about midnight when he started hearing strange noises from a nearby school called Sure Vision. 

Ndonfack said he immediately stepped out of his house to find out what was happening, and that was when he realised that the school was on fire, so he shouted to call the attention of his wife and the night watch of the school. 

He continued that before the night watch could take out his belongings, the fire had engulfed the entire school structure, a storey building built with wood. He said the fire quickly extended to nearby shops, which were also built with wood.

Because the school structure was a storey building, the fire quickly extended to parts of the roof of an adjacent two-storey building called White House. It partly damaged the first and second floors. By the time firefighters arrived the scene, the school and all the surrounding shops had been ravaged by the fire.

According to Gabriel Ndonfack, the firefighters, upon arrival, were focused on preventing the fire from consuming the entire building of the White House. He said from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., the firefighters did all they could to prevent White House from being completely destroyed by fire. 

Ndonfack added that by 7:00 a.m., even after the departure of firefighters, small flames could still be seen from the roof. However, the population quickly mobilised to put out the fire. 

Some of the traders such as Magdalene Tiku, and Patience Ngum are said to have expressed sadness for their great loss. One of them is quoted as having said: “I do not know what to say. It is even difficult for me to cry”. 

 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3337 of Monday January 13, 2025

 

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