The fire broke out at the end of the afternoon and, despite the intervention of the emergency services, several dozen shops were burnt to the ground.

For the second time this year, the main market in Bamenda, in the North West region, was engulfed in flames. A fire broke out in the shopping centre at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 22. It has devastated a number of shops in the area. According to reports, around forty shops were burn.

Local media says one man died as the fire engulfed the shops he tried to enter. The young man was said to have been in the process of stealing items from the shops after the flames had been extinguished. He was taken by surprise by a crowd of onlookers and was beaten to death on the spot.

The origin of the flames is still a mystery. There are suspicions that they were caused by an electrical issue or by separatists fighters.