N’Djamena’s Mayor Announces New Actions To Combat Recent Fires

Fires in Chad, Feb-Mar, Credit: Peter Lee, HeartbeatAfrica.News

N’DJAMENA–Ali Haroun, mayor of Chad’s capital city, recently addressed the flagrant rash of fires that have been burning up both markets and neighborhoods in the north and central parts of the country.

In the past 40 days, Chad has seen over 9 fires destroy millions of francs of market goods and cause millions more in damage to residential areas, much suspicion has been aroused by the blazes due to there consistency and locations. Fires destroyed markets in N’Djamena, Sila, and Abeche within days of each other, leading many to suspect arson. Out of the last nine fires in a little over a month, 7 have no identified cause.

N’Djamena’s Mayor, Ali Haroun, recently spoke to several delegations concerning the recent fires, and what the municipal government is doing to avoid further destruction.

The Mayor said that after meetings between different state levels, six measures were agreed upon to curb the risk of fires, especially in marketplaces.

  • Close the markets at 5.30 p.m.
  • Equip the sentries and guards of the shops located within the markets with badges to identify them in the event of unexpected checks by municipal police officers.
  • Train traders about the electrical connection of their shops and on the sale and use of gas cylinders inside the markets.
  • Install fire extinguishers in every shop.
  • Install surveillance cameras in the markets.
  • Insure paths for firefighters are clear

The Mayor also hinted that the government has decided to make imported fire extinguishers tax exempt to encourage their use, and asked the delegates to spread the word concerning the measures to make them more effective.

Peter Lee

Freelance Journalist and Editor, currently working with Heartbeat Africa News covering events in "The Heart of Africa". Contact Peter Lee in English or French at PeterLee@heartbeatafrica.news

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