Between 2014 and 2023, seven of Luanda’s main markets burned down due to non-compliance with fire safety factors. The list includes Congolese, Kifica, Kikolo, Correios, Praça das Mulheres, Kwanzas and Asa Branca. The latter is the record holder with an accumulation of three occurrences. Space managers recognize failures and agree measures to prevent future situations, while the Civil Protection and Fire Services reinforce “tightening” in the application of fines for those who fail to comply with fire safety standards
The investment of 10 million kwanzas that Ventura André invested in the clothing, footwear and jewelry business today is reduced to ashes left over from the fire that consumed 32 stores in the Asa Branca market, in the municipality of Cazenga, in Luanda.
Ventura is one of the owners of one of the stores that burned in the fire that broke out in the early hours of last Saturday. With the fire, he lost a large financial sum and an entire life built, as he said, with “a lot of sacrifice” over more than 15 years of sale. With debts to be paid, fear of facing the dawn, anxiety and an anguish that has gripped him since the incident, Ventura André says he feels terrified for not knowing where to start his life over again, especially in the current context where everything is very difficult.
What’s even more disturbing is that part of the 10 million had to be obtained through loans and that they now don’t know how to pay, because they don’t have any money left to start their lives over. “All the money I had I invested in the business, just thinking about the festive season. As things get difficult at this stage, I took advantage of doing things in advance. But, unfortunately, bad luck knocked on my door”, he lamented.
Jorge Francisco is also another trader who saw, in the early hours of Saturday, everything he built collapsing due to the fire in the Asa Branca market. At the beginning of the conversation with OPAIS, Jorge tried to stop his tears, to demonstrate that he was courageous, but they were stronger than his courage, and he then gave in to regrets about a life of uncertainty that he will have to face in the coming years. times.
After all, he says he also lost 4 million and 500 thousand kwanzas with the total business he had in stock and which burned down in the flames. “Do what? Now I just have to regret it, because from now on I don’t even know how to start my life over again. I have been selling clothes and shoes for over ten years. But now the misfortune has happened”, he said.
Markets in danger
Ventura and Jorge were victims of the fire that devastated the 32 stores in the Asa Branca market. They believe that, if the space had been equipped with fire prevention and fighting equipment, they might not be included in the statistics today for the worst reasons. Just like in Asa Branca, the vast majority of public markets in Luanda do not have fire-fighting conditions and equipment, despite constant calls, alerts and even fines issued by the Civil Protection and Fire Service.
However, the lack of equipment and technical non-compliance with the equipment puts the main markets in the country’s capital at risk of fire. Although these spaces mostly concentrate thousands of people, including salespeople, workers and customers, they are unprepared for any emergency events. The flames, which last week devastated the stores in the Asa Branca Market, raised an alert about the vulnerability of these spaces to danger.
The Asa Branca Market, despite registering three fires in a quick period of nine years, namely in 2014, 2018 and now 2023, still remains unprepared. The space, which houses a total of 3,500 seats and 146 stores, does not have fire extinguishers, hoses, fire hydrants, or even a water reservoir to deal with any situation, which leaves the infrastructure completely vulnerable. .
“Hands on the deck”
Ezequiel Doceba is the deputy coordinator of the management committee for that market. He recognizes the danger and says that, now with the third fire, efforts will begin to reinforce security issues which, at the moment, are “open to risks”. “In the administrative area of the market we have two fire extinguishers, but I don’t know if they still work because their expiration date has passed.
But we recognize our mistake and we will learn from it”, he pointed out. As a gesture of recognition of the failures, the market management committed to rehabilitating, on its own, the 32 stores devoured by the fire, promises that Lopes Canganjo and Gonçalves Dala hope to move from theory to practice. Both had their stores burned, without the possibility of recovering any product.
They are now awaiting the results of the investigations that continue to take place and which, preliminarily, have already ruled out the possibility of arson, although the store owners agree with this understanding. “Let’s hope they keep their promise. But, for us, it is still very strange to believe what happened, which is why we believe that someone set fire to the stores”, highlighted Lopes Canganjo.
History of sad occurrences
Although, so far, the fires that broke out in some markets in Luanda have not caused human casualties, they represent great concern, especially because they ruin the lives of families with the loss of property, as warned by the Civil Protection and Fire Service. From the history of fires, in addition to Asa Branca, which already has three incidents, the list includes the Congolese markets, in 2015, Correios, in 2019, Kikolo, in 2016, Kifica, in 2022, Kwanzas, in 2020, and Praça of Women, in 2021.
Together, these fires destroyed parts of these markets and ruined the finances of families who depended on sales of incinerated products to survive. In the old Praça das Mulheres alone, which was located in the municipality of Cazenga, the fire caused losses estimated at more than 40 million kwanzas and also consumed four ships with various goods, causing other extensive damage.
Ignorance follows
Two years after the incident, ignorance in observing risk factors continues to be the order of the day in the management of Praça das Mulheres, which is currently in a new space built from scratch in the Zamba-4 area. However, in the event of 2021, the fire, of medium proportions, broke out due to a presumed short circuit, as determined by the Civil Protection and Fire Service.
At the time of the incident, the space did not have any fire protection equipment, which facilitated the spread of the fire. Currently, the same mistake was made in the new infrastructure which, although it is already functioning and prepared for a number of close to 3 thousand vendors, does not have any equipment to fight fires. In this unit, there are no fire hydrants or appropriate hoses to provide first aid in the event of any eventuality.
Manuel Afonso is one of those responsible for managing the market. Speaking to OPAIS, he said that the space started operating recently and that a lot of things still need to be worked out while the works are being completed. “As you can see, we are still young. And honestly, we don’t have any firefighting equipment here, but we will improve over time,” he assured.