The ashes of shops burned in Hai Game. (-)

Four businessmen are counting losses after four shops were destroyed in a fire outbreak at Game Residential Area of Juba on Thursday night.

An eye witness said the inferno started at 9 PM in a nearby room due to the negligence of a woman who left beans cooking on fire as well as a burning candle while she slept outside.

Hilary Haswani said the fire caught some clothes and engulfed the entire room before extending to the neighborhood, and burning the four shops.

“From these shops, there is a woman who also rents a small portion. She slept outside but there was a candle burning inside and she was also cooking inside the house when she was sleeping outside,” she said.

“The candle engulfed the clothes and burned the house, she did not even realize the house was burning because she was sleeping outside. When attention was drawn to the incident, the fire had already extended to the next shop and the bar beside it, it burned them all.”

Mr. Haswani said the fighters to extinguish the fire but that it was already late as damage had been done.

One of shop owners named Tumusime Silvia, said she lost all her commodities including personal documents like National Identity Card and Passport to the fire.

“It burned and I could not take anything out, it burned out all my belongings like money, fridge, national ID, passport and other properties. Water, soda, tomatoes, matoke, onions, eggs, charcoal.”

“There is a woman who put beans on fire and slept outside. I saw her running and crying and then I took away my child and ran out. I did not take anything out even my child’s clothes.”

Fire outbreak reportedly remains a common occurrence in South Sudan specially in Juba where traders often count losses due to intermittent fire outbreaks.