By Matik Kueth
A massive fire erupted at Konyo-Konyo market in Juba on Thursday, destroying numerous shops and sparking panic among traders. Eyewitness Wilfred Maluk Dak described the chaotic scene as flames engulfed the area and smoke filled the air.
“We heard people were running around, like screaming and some of them were calling that fire, fire. So, we were in a small shop, and then we ran out of the shop to see what was going on. When we came out of the shop, we saw one part of the market was completely engulfed with flames and there was a kind of a large smoke that covered the whole of the sky,” Dak said.
He said shop owners and spectators tried to extinguish the fire, but the heat kept them from getting close.
“We tried to run to the scene to see whether there’s something we can do to help. But there was nothing we could do because the flame was so hot, like it’s heated, that the heat can send you away from fire. So, we were just there watching, and there’s nothing we can do,” he stated.
Dak explained that as the fire threatened to spread further, everyone joined the throng of panicked residents fleeing the neighborhood.
“So, people are running around and all this. So, even when it was trying to spread around toward the place where we were standing, we also joined the people running around, and we weren’t standing very far from the side of the flame. I think the number of shops, I cannot say the exact number of shops, but I’m sure there are 20 and above or maybe 30 and above, like a lot of shops that got burned,” he stressed.
Despite the devastation, Dak couldn’t provide an exact count of the shops affected, noting that, “I just know that there’s a large number of shops that have been consumed in the flame.”
Wuor Magok, a trader whose shop was among those got burnt, indicated that the fire was likely sparked by an electrical circuit that did not blast.
He lamented the rapid spread of the fire, which he attributed to the proximity of the metal and plastic sheets.
“My shop was among the shops that got burnt and I only managed to pick out some commodities out but not all the items because the fire was moving fast since most of the shops were constructed using iron sheets and plastic sheets. So, it is a big problem!” he lamented.
Magok underscored the urgent necessity for traders to build their businesses with bricks to avoid such incidents.
Konyo-Konyo is South Sudan’s largest market, teeming with a diverse range of commodities sold by both foreign and local traders.
The terrible fire has left many people concerned about the safety and long-term viability of their businesses, as they work to rebuild them.