MOGADISHU (KAAB TV) – Poor families and their children are now facing despair ahead of the Eid al-Fitr celebration later this week after a massive fire destroyed their houses in the Kaxda district of Mogadishu on Saturday.
The fire, caused by an electric shock, reportedly began early on Saturday, but the fire had already consumed the homes by the time firefighters arrived.
Mohamed Ali lost his house and his neighbor’s home, containing 10 rooms in total made of iron sheets, but he managed to rescue his five children.
“We were able to rescue the children, but nothing else was saved. All our belongings, including the Eid clothes for the children, burnt down,” he told Kaab TV.
Ibrahim Hassan Hussein, a neighbor, was able to help rescue the affected families. He said he heard the fire and quickly came to the rescue of those trapped.
“Nobody was killed, thank God, but all the belongings of these poor families were lost,” Ibrahim said.
The affected families are now agonized that these fires resulted from poor maintenance of the electricity provided by private companies.
The firefighters also did not arrive on time, as they say.
The affected families also requested quick aid, as those affected, including women and children, have no shelter as their homes were razed down.
Fire has now become a widespread disaster for Mogadishu and its residents.
In the past three months, there have been more than four occasions of fire incidents affecting everything from markets to residential areas, but the local authorities have yet to come up with a good plan to prevent this life-threatening problem that affects communities and businesses in the capital.