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A devastating fire ravaged the Agoè-Assiyéyé market on the night of Thursday, December 21, causing significant material damage. An investigation was immediately opened by the gendarmerie.
The “first elements” obtained from the judicial investigation were made public on Saturday evening by the public prosecutor Talaka Mawama, during a press briefing.
HERE IS THE ENTIRETY OF THE PROSECUTOR’S INTERVENTION
Following the fire which ravaged three quarters of the Agoe-Nyive-Assiyéyé market, on the night of Thursday December 21, 2023, a judicial investigation was opened by the Lomé district prosecutor’s office.
This investigation, carried out by the central criminal research and investigation service of the Gendarmerie, revealed the following elements.
On Thursday, December 21, 2023, around 9 p.m., the agents responsible for monitoring this market observed smoke rising from a shed in the center of the market. Having rushed there, and having noted the extent of the fire, these agents alerted the on-site police station, whose head of station, without hesitation, called the fire brigade team.
When they arrived, they faced a devastating fire which set almost everything on fire. Alongside the firefighters, other support forces were mobilized in the fight against this gigantic fire. It was not until the early morning of Friday December 22, 2023 that the fire was brought under control.
The day of Friday, December 22, 2023 mainly consisted of completely extinguishing the residual fire on the site and securing it.
On the morning of Saturday, December 23, 2023, a team of investigators from the central criminal research and investigation service (SCRIC) and the criminal identification unit (CIC), carried out a transport to the scene for the purposes of findings. required. The observations and initial interviews made made it possible to identify the “spices” block, in the center of the market, as the starting point of the fire. After this identification, technicians from the Criminal Identification Unit proceeded to search for the probable presence of an indicator relating to the use of hydrocarbon. The search having proved unsuccessful, the theory of a fire of electrical origin was considered. A makeshift electric meter, commonly called an “adder”, fixed in a goods container was suspected of being the generator of an electrical short circuit. This thesis was supported by the way in which the electrical installations were made on the site of the said market.
Indeed, apart from the administrative block and the police station, the electrical installations on the Agoe-Nyive-Assiyeye market site were not made by the administration. Each user carried out their own electrical installation with the technician of their choice and according to their needs. This practice led to an anarchic installation of electrical cables, like spider webs. As a result, the slightest electrical malfunction causing a short circuit was likely to cause a widespread fire due to the clutter of the displays.
These are the first elements obtained from the judicial investigation undertaken following the fire in the Agoe-Nyive-Assiyéyyé market. The investigations continue by exploiting the clues and testimonies obtained and the search for any other elements which could provide information on the trigger of the short circuit which caused the fire.
That said, it is appropriate to draw the attention of users of our markets to always comply with the standards required in any electrical installation within said markets.
Done at the Prosecutor’s Office, December 30, 2023
The prosecutor
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