Fire Guts Shops at Mogadishu’s Bakara Market

A major fire tore through Mogadishu’s Bakara Market on Tuesday, destroying multiple shops near the Cabdalla Shideeye junction and wiping out the stock and property of dozens of traders, witnesses said.

The blaze broke out inside the market and quickly spread across several business sections before firefighters from the Banadir Regional Administration arrived to bring it under control.

The fire is the latest in a long line of destructive blazes to strike Bakara, Somalia’s largest and busiest commercial hub, where thousands of traders and their families depend on daily business for their livelihoods.

Repeated incidents at the market have raised concerns over fire safety standards and the vulnerability of the densely packed trading area, though no official cause has yet been established for Tuesday’s fire.