We secured an impromptu interview with the Public Relations Officer of the Brikama Area Council, Mr. Lamin Singhateh following Monday night’s fire that ravaged through the commercial town’s market shops and stalls.

“Even my own brother’s shop is among those caught in the fire, left in ruins,” Mr. Singhateh told forGambia News and Radio Tuesday as we strive to quantify or at least come with a gestimate of damages in cash value.

Mr. Singhateh told this medium it was around midnight, Monday when he was put in the picture of the outbreak in his domain, the focus of which is not far from the Brikama Health Center. It is not also far from the city’s area council he works at.

“It was a serious fire, one can say. Estimates put the number of businesses and shops ruined to be around twenty to twenty-one. They are opposite the Brikama Health Center,” Singhateh stated.

The PRO said the Counciloror for Nyambai ward as well as Brikama Area Council Chairman, Mr. Sheriffo Sonko visited the market as reports reached them Monday.

Quizzed whether they were able to ascertain reports that the Brikama Fire Service’s truck was without water at the time of the fire, Singhateh, out of professionalism and ethics swerved from commenting.

We interviewed Brikama residents, some of whom said if the fire truck in the area was actually without water, “there is a street water pipe and fountain for sourcing very close to the vicinity of the fire.”

In February 2020, we reported a fire that razed even animals in the Kanilai area where the same story of lack of proper intervention by the fire department resurfaced again. The Kanilai fire lasted for almost twenty-four hours before being quelled.

We lamented why the same old story of “We contacted this particular fire department but they said they didn’t have this or that” keeps going on in The Gambia?

Please read below one of such that we published which was after the dangerous Kanifing gas store fire, the Serrekunda Market fire, and the Basse Market fire all happening in very short histories apart:

ANIMALS GUTTED IN JAMMEH’S KANILAI COMPOUND FIRE