{"id":2000128694,"date":"2026-10-10T16:52:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T14:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000128694"},"modified":"2026-10-11T10:41:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T08:41:26","slug":"fire-breaks-out-at-musanzes-goico-market-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/fire-breaks-out-at-musanzes-goico-market-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Traders face huge losses as fire guts Musanze market (Photos)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The fire broke out in the afternoon and spread across several floors, eventually engulfing the entire building, according to residents who spoke to IGIHE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One resident said the fire was first noticed on the fifth floor, where tailors and second-hand clothing traders operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fire started on the fifth floor, and it is still burning,\u201d the resident said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the fire spread, traders and other occupants fled the building, while some traders broke down in tears after seeing their merchandise go up in flames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents said the cause of the fire was initially unknown. However, information obtained by IGIHE later indicated that it may have started during welding work inside the building before spreading to other sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flames reached highly combustible materials, including clothes, mattresses, oils and plastic products, accelerating the spread of the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 4:30 p.m., the fire had spread across the fourth and fifth floors as the Rwanda National Police’s Fire and Rescue Brigade worked to extinguish it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A resident told IGIHE that traders operating on the upper floors were particularly concerned about the scale of their losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople are distressed, understandably, because they have lost their property. I suspect those operating upstairs, where the fire started, will not be able to salvage anything,\u201d the resident said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At around 5 p.m., the fire appeared to have subsided in the area where it had started, with smoke remaining visible. However, the situation subsequently deteriorated as the flames spread to the lower floors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 5:25 p.m., a resident told IGIHE that the first floor had also caught fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the floors are burning, including the first floor, which has also caught fire. There are four fire engines,\u201d the resident said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resident added that banks operating on the lower floors had also been affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At around 6 p.m., another resident reported that efforts to extinguish the fire were proving difficult, with a bank branch, an insurance company and a supermarket among the businesses reportedly affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fire is still very intense. The market sells clothes and plastic products, which are fuelling the flames. The entire market sells clothes, mattresses and plastic items,\u201d the resident said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rwanda Energy Group (REG) had cut off electricity to the building as a precaution against further damage, according to the resident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 6:33 p.m., the fire was still burning throughout the building, raising fears that it could continue into the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe entire building is burning. There is nowhere that has been spared. The firefighters are still trying, although they have not been able to save anything,\u201d the resident said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the building engulfed in flames, attention shifted to preventing the fire from spreading to neighbouring structures. Large crowds had gathered around the market to watch the incident, prompting security personnel to ask people to leave the area as night fell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fire also disrupted traffic along the Musanze-Kigali road as people evacuated the building and others gathered at the scene. Police officers reportedly regulated the flow of vehicles to reduce the risk of accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rwanda National Police confirmed that its Fire and Rescue Brigade had arrived at the scene in a message posted on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Police Fire and Rescue Brigade has arrived at the scene,\u201d the police stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At around 7:24 p.m., a resident told IGIHE that the fire remained intense and that security personnel were directing people away from the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of people injured or otherwise affected by the incident had not been established by around 8 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IGIHE contacted Musanze District Mayor Claudien Nsengimana for information about the cause of the fire, but he said he would provide an update later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Musanze Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Musanze Market was built in 2017 by GOICO (Gorilla Investment Company), a company bringing together 89 private investors from Musanze District. The project cost approximately Rwf7.5 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The multi-storey building houses businesses selling a range of goods, including clothing, electronic equipment and other merchandise. It also accommodates banks and supermarkets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 1,550 traders operate in the market, which receives an estimated 25,000 visitors daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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Traders are counting their losses after the devastating fire.

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The multi-storey commercial building houses businesses selling clothing, electronic equipment and other goods. It also accommodates banks and supermarkets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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More than 1,550 traders operate at the market, which receives an estimated 25,000 visitors daily.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Musanze Market, popularly known as Goico Market, was engulfed by a major fire on Saturday, October 10, 2026, destroying merchandise and raising fears of extensive losses among traders operating in the multi-storey building.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000128728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000128694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000128728,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/whatsapp_image_2026-10-10_at_20.03_46-6c13e.jpg","alt":"Traders face huge losses as fire guts Musanze market","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":750,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/whatsapp_image_2026-10-10_at_20.03_46-6c13e.jpg","width":1000,"height":750},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/whatsapp_image_2026-10-10_at_20.03_46-6c13e.jpg","width":1000,"height":750},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/whatsapp_image_2026-10-10_at_20.03_46-6c13e.jpg","width":1000,"height":750},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/whatsapp_image_2026-10-10_at_20.03_46-6c13e.jpg","width":1000,"height":750},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/whatsapp_image_2026-10-10_at_20.03_46-6c13e.jpg","width":1000,"height":750}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000128694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000128694"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000128694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000128730,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000128694\/revisions\/2000128730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000128728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000128694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000128694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000128694"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000128694"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000128694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}