Jigjiga Taiwan Market Fire

According to preliminary reports by #Somalia media, the Jigjiga Taiwan market resulted in the total loss of 933 shops and millions of dollars. It is the third time this year alone that Jigjiga dealt with a massive fire in a market.

While the reason for the fire is unknown, there are environmental and architectural problems with the market that hastened the destruction of the market. The design of the market might have also impeded firefighters from putting the fire out and saving some of the shops.

Criticism and outrage are mounting at the Jigjiga fire department’s sluggish response. Far more importantly, the fire department’s inability to put out fires before they spread and save the market is questioned.

Observations have been made of multiple instances where the Jigjiga fire department’s delayed arrival at disaster scenes allowed fires or other calamities to intensify and spread, thus making it significantly more difficult to control the ensuing destruction (BNN, 2023).

It is important to note ineffective fire departments and massive fires that destroy massive markets is an Africa wide issue.

Taiwan Market was a gigantic market that supported the livelihoods of thousands of families. This is a devastating loss for the shop owners and the thousands of workers who made a living from working in the Taiwan Market. It is also a massive loss for hundreds of businesses outside the market that directly or indirectly depended on the Taiwan Market.

Jigjiga is (which is a massive metropolitan Somali city) getting a lot of support and prayers from Somalia and the Somali world. Campaigns to fundraise for the shop owners have started and the leadership of the Somali regional government have promised to rebuild the market.

See an aerial view of the Taiwan Market after the fire destroyed it.