Photo of the week-Bujumbura : fire devours two shopping malls and reduces years of work to ashes

A violent fire ravaged two shopping malls in downtown Bujumbura, the country’s commercial capital and main commercial hub, where numerous economic and financial activities are concentrated, on Friday morning. The fire, which broke out around 6:00 a.m. on the fifth floor of the Ndayizamba mall, quickly spread to several floors before reaching the neighboring building, Le Parisien. No deaths had been reported as of Friday evening, but the material damage is considerable, and many merchants lost their merchandise.

The fire spreads rapidly

According to several witnesses, the first flames were seen around 6:00 a.m. on the fifth floor of the Ndayizamba mall. The fire then spread to other floors before reaching Le Parisien.

Thick black smoke and flames were visible from the surrounding buildings for several hours. Several fire trucks were deployed, while the police and army established a security perimeter around the two buildings. Gabriel Rufyiri, president of Olucome, who visited the scene, lamented the difficulties fire trucks faced in accessing the shopping arcades.

The Bujumbura Credit Bank (BCB), as well as several businesses and shops in the vicinity, had to temporarily close their doors as a safety precaution.

Shopkeepers attempting to reach their stores to salvage their merchandise were prevented from entering. Many nevertheless tried to recover what they could.

Shopkeepers in tears

Scenes of devastation were widespread around the site of the blaze. Helpless shopkeepers watched their shops and merchandise go up in smoke.

Two women fainted before being attended to by paramedics, according to witnesses.

The arcades hosted numerous stalls, particularly those run by women selling imvutano (traditional women’s clothing), shoes, jewelry, kitchen utensils, and various other goods.

For many vendors, these businesses were their families’ main source of income. Some explained that they had invested their savings or taken out bank loans to finance their stock.

“I don’t see how my family will survive. I have a bank loan, and I have four children who should be going to school with school supplies and tuition. What is my future, really? I hope benefactors will come to our aid,” lamented a vendor.

The exact extent of the material losses was still unknown Friday evening.

“It’s as if the central market has just been reduced to ashes again.”

“It’s as if the central market of Bujumbura has just been reduced to ashes again. Those two arcades meant so much to us,” a shopkeeper told SOS Médias Burundi on Friday evening.

For many traders, Ndayizamba and Le Parisien had become much more than just sales spaces. These arcades housed, in particular, traders who had set up shop there after the fire that ravaged the old central market of Bujumbura in January 2013.

More than thirteen years after this tragedy, some traders are now facing the destruction of their businesses once again.

Years of work reduced to ashes

For many, the destroyed goods represent years of savings and investments. Some had taken out bank loans to finance their businesses and will now have to continue repaying their debts without their stock.

The situation is more difficult as several families depend directly on the income from these businesses.

Prosper Bazombanza calls for calm

The Vice President of the Republic, Prosper Bazombanza, visited the site to assess the situation.

He called for calm among the shopkeepers who lost their businesses and urged the public not to jump to conclusions about the cause of the fire.

Our photo : firefighters attempt to control the blaze ravaging the Ndayizamba and Le Parisien shopping arcades in downtown Bujumbura on August 21, 2026