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A devastating fire this week destroyed several market shops in Boro Madina, Raja County, causing property losses estimated in the millions of South Sudan pounds, local authorities said.

Joseph Romano Abdurrahman, Executive Director of Boro Madina Payam, told Eye Radio that the blaze started when a trader was refueling a petrol-powered generator at a hardware shop and the fuel ignited.

“The market’s predominance of iron-sheet and other makeshift structures allowed the fire to spread rapidly, making firefighting efforts extremely difficult,” he said.

Romano confirmed there were no fatalities, but dozens of traders lost merchandise and other assets. He warned that the destruction will significantly disrupt the local market, which depends on supplies from Wau and Juba—routes made more challenging during the rainy season.

He urged traders to rebuild permanent concrete shops and store fuel separately from goods to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“Most traders have accepted what happened. The individual responsible is currently in detention and under investigation, and some victims have already begun rebuilding their shops,” Romano said.

“We have instructed them to store goods separately from fuel and other flammable materials; these items should not be kept in the same place. We found that building materials, foodstuffs, motorcycle spare parts, and fuel were all stored together, which was the primary cause of the blaze,” he added.

Authorities continue to monitor recovery efforts and provide guidance to traders as they rebuild the market infrastructure.