14 vehicles burnt in Bakoteh garage fire

A devastating fire tore through a mechanic garage in Bakoteh on Tuesday morning, destroying 14 vehicles and partially damaging three others.

The owner of the garage, Modou Sowe said the cause of the fire remains unknown.

“I don’t know what caused the fire. The boys who slept in the garage said they just saw one car on fire, and that is how it started,” Sowe told The Standard.

According to him, he rushed to the scene after receiving a phone call about the blaze and found firefighters from the Gambia Fire and Rescue Service already battling the flames.

“By the time I arrived, 14 cars had already been burnt to the ground, while three others were partly burnt,” he said.

Sowe said the incident was reported to the police, with officers from the Kairaba and Sanchaba police stations responding to the scene to begin investigations into the cause of the fire.

Although no lives were lost, the fire destroyed several high-value vehicles belonging to customers. The burnt vehicles included sports cars, 2 Volkswagen Touareg cars , 2 Mercedes-Benz  cars, a latest-model Kia,  Toyota 7-seater, a Ford 7-seater and several other vehicles that had been left at the garage for repairs.

He said all the vehicle owners had been informed of the incident, adding that some had already visited the scene to witness the extent of the destruction.

Sowe said it was impossible at this stage to estimate the financial loss caused by the fire because of the number and value of the vehicles destroyed.

“It is very painful. People’s vehicles got burned while they were in our hands. We are appealing to anyone who can help us. Nothing is too small,” he said.