Authorities in Kuajok Municipal Council, Warrap State said a 40-year-old woman burned to death last Friday when a fire broke out at Kuajok’s main market.

The fire which broke out at midnight razed down over 20 makeshift structures made out of grass and bamboo, locally known as rakubas, where local alcohol, including potent gin, is brewed and sold. 

According to the Mayor of Kuajok, Wol Aleu, two people suspected of having started the fire have been arrested and are currently being investigated. 

He said the local brewers will be relocated to a new area that will be designated for their use to lessen the chances of fire causing serious damage in the main market.

“A 40-year-old woman died in a hut which caught fire. That woman was residing in the market. She is among those people who stay at the place where local alcohol is brewed. The reason for the fire in that part of the market was that somebody set it on fire,” Mayor Wol explained. “Currently police are investigating two people believed to be behind it. This area where local alcohol is brewed is near the main market and for that case, the government is working on ways of getting a new place to demarcate and distribute to the brewers.”  

The mayor called on the victims of the fire to refrain from speculation and allow the police to conduct investigations. 

Some of the victims of the fire say they are left with nothing to continue with the business. One of them is 45-year-old Ngor Wol. 

Ngor who sells fried fish in the same market said he lost over 200,000 SSP in the fire. He said he was sleeping when the fire started and that he would have also died had he not been saved by his children. 

“The money that I have lost, I can swear using the Bible later, is 260,000 SSP and this is money I made last year during the flood time. Other things that were burned in the house are two tables, clothes, and shoes. Others are ten plates, those are the properties that were burned in the house,” Ngor lamented.

Ngor said he is confused and disillusioned as he has nothing to carry on with his fish business which he has been using to feed himself and his family.