Douala: Irate youth chase firefighters for arriving disaster scene late.

The firefighters are said to have arrived the scene hours after they had been called. The fire broke out in the New Bell neighborhood on August 26.

We gathered that the population of New Bell neighborhood had tried to stop the fire as much as they could. Firefighters were contacted but arrived after several hours after when the fire had already destroyed everything.

The youth of the locality became furious and threw stones and other objects at the tank of the firefighters.

According to the youth, the distance from the neighborhood to the firefighter’s brigade is just a few minutes drive. 

The commander of the 20th Army Rescue unit, Kadrey Abdiel in an interview granted the media condemned the attack. 

He disclosed that a complaint has been filed against the attackers, insisting they will be punished according to the law.

He revealed that the delay in arriving the scene was caused by the deplorable state of the road and traffic congestion in Douala.

He has however urged the population to dial the toll-free number 118 in any case of emergency before stating the need for the population to trust firefighters.

By Ngeh Pellagie Mayah, Journalism student on internship

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3548 of Friday August 28, 2025