Fire ravages Niger market

2004-05-31 16:59

Niamey - Fire ripped through the Wadata marketplace on the outskirts of the Niger capital Niamey early on Monday, firefighters and local officials told AFP.

More than 90% of the market was destroyed by the fire which broke out before dawn, according to city officials and a grouping of shopowners.

Firefighters said it was still not known what had caused the blaze.

"We are in the process of conducting an inventory of the site and an investigation has been opened to try to determine what caused the blaze," Jules Ouguet, who is both mayor of the capital and the leading official for the region surrounding Niamey, told reporters.

The fire broke out at around 04:00 and was only brought under control some four hours later, witnesses told AFP, complaining of the slow reaction time of rescue services.

Firefighters said the flames spread quickly because many of the stalls in the market are made from highly inflammable reeds.

Wadata market is the third largest serving Niamey. It dates from the 1980s and its stallholders sell mainly clothing, furniture and cooking oils.

President Mamadou is due to visit the burnt-out marketplace on Monday.

- AFP