An extensive fire destroyed shops and businesses at Marol Market in the town of Bor in South Sudan’s Jonglei state on Wednesday night.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj this morning, several traders said property valued millions of South Sudanese Pounds was razed to the ground.
Yassin Adam Mohamed, who lost goods, said the fire broke out at around 8 pm. “We rushed to the scene but I could not rescue anything from my shop,” Yasssin said.
Joseph Garang, a trader who also lost goods, said that the fire ravaged through 32 shops, completely destroying various properties in the market.
“My retail shop contained a variety of goods. As you can see now, it is completely razed to the ground. I was at the scene when the fire broke out but I could not salvage anything,” he said.
The affected traders called on the government and NGOs to help them by constructing their shops. “We are urging the relevant authorities to open up the roads to avoid reoccurrence of fire outbreaks,” said Moses Maluak, a businessman who lost his retail shops.
Mabior Kuol Ajok, the information secretary for Chamber of Commerce in Jonglei, said one suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident. He explained that the fire was caused by a woman who was cooking beans in her shop.
He noted that there were no casualties in the incident.