A fire broke out at Goico Market in Musanze town on Saturday afternoon, October 10, damaging parts of the building, including the fourth and fifth floors.
Residents near the market said the fire started between 3.30pm and 4pm on the fifth floor, where tailors and second-hand clothes traders operate.
The fire prompted people inside the building to rush outside, while traders feared losses as flames threatened their merchandise.
Rwanda National Police’s fire and rescue brigade had begun firefighting operations, but at around 4.30pm, flames were still visible on the building’s top two floors.
The rush to escape the burning building raised concerns among residents that some people might have been injured. However, no figures on casualties or information about the cause of the fire had been released by the time of publication.
Goico Market was completed in 2017 at a cost of about Rwf7.5 billion. It houses more than 1,550 traders and receives an estimated 25,000 visitors daily.
