Traders watch in a distant as fire consume their goods on Tuesday at Gok Machar Market. Photo credit: Curtesy

Traders in Aweil North County of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State are counting losses after fire burnt 150 shops at Gok Machar market days ago.

Victorino Oken, the area Commissioner told Eye Radio the fire broke out in the afternoon of Tuesday this week.

According to him, the cause of the fire was as a result of an overheated battery that was put on charging in the market.

One person is said to have sustained injuries during the fire incident.

“The fire broke-out while I was chairing a certain meeting nearby. When we traced the cause of the fire it was said to be a battery, the battery that was been charge, and it got burst in the process”, Mr. Victorino Oken described to Eye Radio on Wednesday.

“Actually this morning (Wednesday) I took my time to the field, and I got the information that the shops that were burnt were 150 exactly”, he confirmed.

Oken said he has formed a committee to investigate and assess the extent of the damages.

He added that the findings will then be presented to the state and national governments for assistance to the affected traders.

” I tried by the way to console the traders and that was not enough, we have formed the committee to investigate and compile data and that data will be presented to the relevant authority, and even the international partners to intervene with the relevant assistance”, he said.