The local authorities of Warrap State’s Gogrial West County on Sunday said the main market in Gogrial Town caught fire at 3:30 a.m. and destroyed over 72 grass-thatched shops, occasioning great losses for traders.
Agol Ngom, a female trader who sells mixed items, said she lost all the wares in her shop to the inferno and cannot now look after her family.
“I work in Gograil Market in Gograil Town and sell salt, dry and powdered okra, groundnut paste, and other items, which all got burned while I was sleeping at home not far from the market,” she lamented. “The loss is great for us to bear because all our dura (sorghum), groundnuts, clothes, and other goods were all burnt. Even those who left money in the shops were affected.”
Ibrahim Hassan, a Somali trader, said he was shocked to see the market engulfed by fire.
“What occurred in the market is upon God; it was astonishing to see fire all over the market, but there was nothing we could do,” he mourned. “I lost clothes valued at more than SSP 7 million, and we cannot do anything about it.”
For his part, Adam Ibrahim, a Sudanese trader, said his three shops with spare parts and groundnuts were burnt.
“At around 3:30 a.m. local time, the fire commenced in the western and southern parts of the market,” he said. “I lost SSP 800,000, all my spare parts of motorcycles and bicycles, and 10 sacks of groundnuts.”
Ibrahim said that it was difficult to rescue goods at night because some malicious people took advantage of the fire to loot.
Meanwhile, Gogrial West County Commissioner Victor Wek said he has established a joint committee to register the losses and advised the affected traders to avoid constructing shops using local materials.
“The fire started in the market at 3:30 a.m., and all the shops were burnt, over 72 shops were burnt, and only a few shops remain,” he said. “Nobody knows the cause of the fire. I toured the market and set up a committee comprised of local government officers, security, and chamber of commerce members to register the losses suffered by traders.”