It could be recalled that a recent fire outbreak at Brikama Jambar Sanneh leading to the ravaging of a living room, barbing salon, car and two shops, rendering the victims their source of revenue spin out of their hands.
Speaking to The Point recently at Brikama Jambar Sanneh, Saikou Sano, a barber described the fire incident as unfortunate for him. He said the fire outbreak has destroyed all his working materials worth fifty- one thousand (D51,000) dalasis.
“The materials that have been burnt include a set of 50 watt solar panels, my two barbing machines, mirrors and other barbing machines that I was repairing for some people.”
Consequently, he said the nightmare has affected him as he finds it difficult to sustain his family due to the damage.
This has affected my livelihood a lot because I used this business to earn a living to sustain my two wives and nine children,” he lamented.
Ousman Jarju, a teacher whose house was burnt to ashes, narrated that his documents such as school leaving certificates, marks sheets records for students, and four laptops were all burnt.
“I have lost my bed, mattress, cupboard, smartphone. Again, I have lost D9000 that I withdrew from my friend and I supposed to handover it to someone else. This fire incident has affected me severely but I have taken it in good faith,” he said.
Jarju said, he would pursue a fire certificate from the Gambia Fire and Rescue Services (GFRS) to retrieve documents he acquired from former schools such as Nusrat Senior Secondary School and the Gambia College but was quick to add that he would find it tedious to retrieve certificates acquired from other capacity workshops.
This disaster, he said would affect him as a teacher because most of his valuable materials have been destroyed.
The teacher urged the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and Gambia Teachers Union to come to his aid.
Modou Cham, second hand material seller whose products were burnt to ashes, portrayed the incident as dreadful for him and other victims. He said it would have a longtime negative impact on their businesses.
“Personally, I have lost 14 mattresses, 26 plastic chairs, six solar bulbs, two smart phones and cash of D75, 000. This is definitely worrying me,” he said.
Cham said his greatest concern about the devastation is that the goods belong to his business partner in Europe.
Meanwhile, all the victims called on the government to support them financially in order to mitigate their financial constraints.
