NGAOUNDÉRÉ: A 2000 SQUARE METRE WAREHOUSE BURNT TO THE GROUND.

A violent fire engulfed a wood storage warehouse in Ngaoundéré, located in the Adamawa region of Cameroon, on the night of Wednesday 27 December 2023, leaving nothing but ashes and considerable material losses. The fire brigade managed to bring the blaze under control, but the damage was extensive, including the loss of around ten machines.

The fire was reported to the authorities at 10.50pm on the said date, by the Ngaoundéré emergency centre, located in the Madagascar district, behind the Doumbé Oumar stadium in the Ngaoundéré II district . The warehouse, with a total surface area of 2,000 square metres, was quickly engulfed in flames.

The intervention of the fire brigade was decisive, mobilizing two small fire hoses to contain and extinguish the fire, reinforced by the airport fire brigade team. Several tanker rotations were required to bring the flames completely under control. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported, but the material damage was considerable, including the destruction of around ten machines and a substantial part of the depot.

The rescue operation came to an end in the morning of Thursday 28th December 2023, mobilizing three pumping engines and around twenty staff actively involved in extinguishing the fire.

This incident once again raises the thorny issue of compliance with strict safety and risk prevention rules in wood storage warehouses.

These areas, which are conducive to the development and rapid spread of fires, require constant vigilance if such tragedies are to be avoided in the future ahead.

Delia Nyadi.