Property worth thousands of US dollars destroyed as fire razes shop in Baledweyne

Property worth over 200,000 US dollars was Friday night reduced to ashes after a fierce fire broke out in a shop located in Baladweyne town, central Somalia.

Mohamed Abdi, a resident who participated in putting out the fire said the inferno started while workers in the shop were asleep.

“The cause of the fire which started at around 2 am is yet to be established. However no one was injured during the incident,” said Abdi.

According to the shop owner, Omar Mohamed when the fire broke out around two people were sleeping inside the shop but were forced to leave the building immediately.

“We did not manage to salvage anything as we feared the fierce fire which started from the foodstuff section of the shop before spreading quickly to the rest of the shop,” Mohamed said.

Mohamed said attempts by staff and firefighters from to put out the fire were thwarted as their engine ran out of water forcing them to call for assistance from fire engines belonging to telco company, NationLink.

It took more than an hour to contain the fire.

Eyewitnesses said that they were attracted by screams and heavy smoke billowing from the building.

They said that it was difficult to fight the fire owing to the presence of oil-based paints inside the shop.