By: Haruna Kuyateh
Inferno that occurred early hour of Thursday at around 1am in Farafenni has burnt down ten shops, different materials, properties and huge sum of cash.
However the Regional Governor Lamin Saidykhan and Malamin IL Bojang, chairman of Kerewan Area Council has since visited the scene to show solidarity and also held meeting with the Gambia Fire Rescue Service in the region.
During the solidarity visit the Governor promise to engage local council, NAWEC and Fire Rescue Service for prompt solution to save lives and business, while the regional authorities launched an appeal for humanitarian assistance to the affected shopkeepers.
The Divisional Fire Officer of Farafenni Fire and Rescue Service Samba Saho expressed the need for functional water hydrant points around the market side to help provide timely respond to fire incidents when need arise and also additional fire tenders to ease their operation.
Samba Saho pointed out this during the brief meeting with the Governor and chairman of Kerewan Area Council shortly after a visit to scene of the inferno.
Divisional Fire Officer Saho thanked the Soma Fire and Rescue Service for prompt backup to control the fire. He therefore called on communities and businesses sectors to provide timely information each time there is fire outbreak.
He reiterated on the need of all the nine nonfunctional hydrant points to be up to date as his officers service is extended to border villages in Senegal, as their fire station is far from the border.
“There is need to have additional fire tenders in Farafenni, as it is the only station that serves up to Lamin Koto and Kerewan, therefore to have many water points would ease operation,” he emphasised
Sainabou Kebbeh, Abdlie Gaye and Ebrima Ceesay lost everything and claimed that cash amount up to D2 million including CFA was consumed by the fire.
The cause of the fire according to some eyewitness was as a result of electric spark that drop on the shops. Investigations are ongoing by shop owners to ascertain their losses.