Tragic Fire in Hargeysa

[Che -Guevara]

 

[Che -Guevara]

So much wealth wiped out will be hardest on small traders.

[Che -Guevara]

 

[Che -Guevara]

This is catastrophic. 

 

[baala xoofto]

Very unfortunate that this tragedy could have been averted if those stakeholders heeded the calls and at least made the emergency exit/entry points clear. 

These are the heroes who have averted the fire from spreading to other parts of the city centre and also to the suburbs. 

[Tallaabo]

Che thiz tragedy was very predictable. Hargeisa is a city of drug addicts where officially the only vehicles allowed to move at excessive speeds with no regard for public safety are the narcotics delivery vehicles. Even ambulances carrying dying people get stuck in the chaotic streets and no one cares. 

[Che -Guevara]

11 minutes ago, Tallaabo said:

Che thiz tragedy was very predictable. Hargeisa is a city of drug addicts where officially the only vehicles allowed to move at excessive speeds with no regard for public safety are the narcotics delivery vehicles. Even ambulances carrying dying people get stuck in the chaotic streets and no one cares. 

That's the tragedy of being Somali. No one is held accountable. 

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Salamaad Allah ha sahlo

[Che -Guevara]

Bit of good news

 

[Che -Guevara]

Before and after 

 

[Che -Guevara]

These guys are heros. They gave their best with limited resources, congested streets and at times running out of water 

 

[baala xoofto]

24 hours later, fire still going inside the warehouses and shops. This is devastation max. When you consider the month of Ramadan is their busiest month where they do their biggest trade. Every vendor has his/her shop filled to the rafters with goods, the warehouses the same. This explains why the fire still going 24 hours after it first started. 

Ethiopia's Somali regional government has send its fire fighting teams to help with the overworked Hargeisa's fire service.  This is one of those things that will be remembered long after Hargeisa recovers from this tragedy. 

Ethiopia's Prime Minister has dispatched a ministerial delegation to Hargeisa to convey their support.

Also thanks to the UK Government who is mobilising international support to help the business people recover faster from this fires. Specially thanks to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and MP Gavin Williams 

Thanks also for the UAE and Taiwanese Government for their support.

Local Hargeisawis are mobilising to clean up the city and rebuild a better, vibrant and safer city. In times of crisis, there is also an opportunity - we need to maximise the opportunities that this tragedy presents us. 

 

[baala xoofto]

Not only is Goods and merchandise burning, but also real hard currency like these US Dollars. He is holding no less than 50,000 dollars in his hands right there.

[galbeedi]

First responders are heroes as usual. They did great despite their lack of resources.

WE all hope and pray for patience, especially the small traders who made a living there. My brother who is in Hargeisa at the moment told me it was almost over 5 km square . 

I will hold any accusations or critisim, but, there is aways but,  right?

But, traditionally, these kind of fires are insitigated by governments for many different reasons. Ceel Gaab market, which was the heart of money laundering and foreign exchange hub in the late eighties, was burned by the Somali government in late eighties to make way for new modern market.

Cabdi Illey burned over night most of the makeshift businesses and small market booths concentrated in Jigjiga. After the fire destroyed downton Jigijga, he ordered that any replacement business or houses could be moder buildings high rises ( sky scrabers jigijga style). THe fesult was a modern skyline with huge boulevards that made Jigjiga the envy of many Somali cities with narrow streets. 

Also, a recurrent suspicious fire was happening in both sides Wajaale market after the town has unveiled new modern rendering of how the future city must look. 

WE have to wait the fake investigation Mr. Biixi to make an acurate statement, but the fact is the Somaliland government were unhappy about the Waheen market and its narrow streets and this fire could be a prelude for their future plans to get rid of the small trader who crowded the new sky scrabers. Muuse Biixi already said, " Imisaan idin lahayn sidaani ma shaqeynayso".

wAr jiraaba cakaaru iman

[baala xoofto]

There is zero suspicious about the fires. It was traced back to electrical cable in one of the warehouses. The warehouse's doors were locked completely and the first people tried using whatever they got to try to break the gates. It was too late as it expanded to engulf the whole warehouse and as they watched jumped from one building to the next. 

Two things why the devastation occurred:

1. The area which is highly dense, highly fire-unsafe in terms of being shoulder to shoulder shops with highly flameable goods like Clothing, plastics like toys, Dry food like rice, wheat and sugars etc. 

2. The road access which is extremely non-existent.

Both the vendors and shop owners acknowledge that it was very unsafe place but they refused to help the government make the emergency entry/exit ways clear. Everytime the government clears, the next day they occupy again, to the point that the government just left it alone and the semi-permanent stalls became permanent shops in what used to be road way.

The circle shows the location of the warehouse where the fire first started. The rectangle shows the area it engulfed and destroyed. Every little orange dot is a small stall that is occupying access roads. 

And to give you perspective of the size every little white dot is equivalent to a Toyota Coaster bus.