Earlier today, September 8, a fire of unknown origin broke out on the premises of the Yaounde IV council, located at the Marché Acacias at Biyem-Assi. In one of the videos circulating online, flames can be seen ravaging the building on several levels, with thick black smoke rising into the sky.

The fire department was alerted by residents and Naseri Paul Bea, governor of the Centre region, visited the council to assess the extent of the damage. The fire incident occurred the day after a pontifical mass celebrated on the council’s esplanade in memory of Jean-Claude Adjessa Melingui, former mayor of this commune (2006-2013) who died on September 7, 2013.

This mass, initiated by current mayor Jacques Yoki Onana, marked the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the former mayor’s death. This is not the first time a fire has broken out at Yaoundé IV council. On April 14, 2014, the old building was ravaged by flames. Following the fire, the then-mayor, Paul Martin Lolo (who succeeded Jean-Claude Adjessa Melingui, and his staff moved to a temporary site in the Etoug-Ebé district. This latest fire comes three years after the new premises of the Yaoundé IV council were inaugurated. The construction of those premises was funded by special fund FEICOM, to the tune of XAF843 million. 

P.N.N.