Fatshimetrie, July 29, 2024 – A tragic fire ravaged a makeshift restaurant in the Sans Fils neighborhood in Masina, located east of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The flames unfortunately caused the loss of a woman, aged about fifty, as well as significant material damage, according to information provided by local police authorities.
According to initial investigations carried out by Commissioner John Mbusa of the Tshangu police, the victim herself was responsible for the incident. Indeed, she ran her establishment all day and night, with a young neighbor selling fuel nearby and storing flammable products. As soon as she arrived at the restaurant that morning, an unfortunate gesture allegedly started the fire, causing the gasoline cans to catch fire and devastating explosions that reduced all the establishment’s property to ashes.
Faced with this tragedy, the commander of the Tshangu group and the head of the Sans Fils neighborhood quickly mobilized the Red Cross emergency services to evacuate the victim’s body to the nearest morgue. This dark day comes on top of a series of recent fires, including one that occurred the previous week in the Mama Yemo neighborhood, in the commune of Ngaliema in western Kinshasa, which caused significant material damage.
These tragic events highlight the importance of fire prevention and raising citizens’ awareness of the dangers associated with handling flammable products. They also highlight the need for strict fire safety regulations in commercial establishments, in order to avoid similar disasters in the future.
In these times of mourning and reconstruction, the community of Masina is mobilizing to support the families affected by this terrible loss and to put in place measures to prevent similar future tragedies. Let us hope that these painful events will serve as a lesson and encourage collective awareness regarding fire safety and prevention in our city.
While awaiting further information on the exact circumstances of this disaster, the population remains in a state of shock and expresses its solidarity with the victims of this tragedy. Caution and vigilance remain essential as the community seeks to recover from this ordeal that has brutally disrupted the peaceful daily life of the Sans Fils neighborhood in Masina.
Fatshimetrie will undoubtedly provide in-depth coverage of this event and will continue to closely monitor its impact on the local community and the measures taken to prevent similar tragedies in the future.