Fires in Kinshasa: a recurring and alarming problem
The city of Kinshasa has experienced a series of serious fires in recent years, highlighting the shortcomings and challenges facing firefighting services. Markets, public buildings and homes were reduced to ashes, leaving residents desperate and authorities helpless.
Fire cases in Kinshasa are alarming, and it is clear that firefighting services are poorly equipped and underfunded. Firefighters lack firefighting vehicles, protective equipment and even proper training. Additionally, they often face salary delays, which affects their morale and motivation.
The lack of firefighting preparation and planning is also evident. Firefighters have difficulty getting to fire sites quickly, due to lack of mobility and the absence of adequate tankers. Even when firefighters manage to reach the scene, they often find themselves short of water, due to the low capacity of their tankers and the lack of functioning fire hydrants.
The situation is all the more worrying in neighborhoods outside the commune of Gombe, where fire hydrants are often non-existent or out of service. Residents are left to their own devices, trying to save what they can with limited resources, while waiting for the fire to extinguish itself.
It is clear that there is a lack of firefighting policy and prevention in Kinshasa. Safety and town planning standards are not respected, and many markets and buildings are not equipped with adequate fire prevention systems. This puts residents at high risk, with their homes and livelihoods vulnerable to the flames.
It is urgent that the authorities in Kinshasa take concrete measures to remedy this situation. This includes investing in modern firefighting equipment, properly training firefighters, installing functional fire hydrants and complying with safety standards in construction and town planning.
It is also essential to establish an effective fire prevention policy, raising public awareness of the risks and encouraging the installation of fire prevention systems in buildings and markets.
The fires in Kinshasa are an urgent problem that requires immediate action. The safety and well-being of Kinshasa residents depends on the authorities’ ability to deal with this crisis and put in place effective fire prevention and fighting measures. It’s time to act.