According to witnesses, the fire declared around 4 a.m. local time, surprising the inmates in their sleep.
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Thirty-eight people were killed and 69 seriously injured in a fire that ravaged the central prison of Gitega, the capital of Burundi, the vice-president announced on Tuesday (December 7th). Several witnesses told AFP that the fire had completely charred parts of this overcrowded building, which housed 1,539 inmates (for 400 places) at the end of November, according to figures from the prison administration. According to these witnesses, who described“immense flames”, the fire broke out around 4 a.m. local time, surprising the detainees in their sleep.
#Burundi: the central prison of Gitega (Center) in flames, according to witnesses present on the spot who already speak of “enormous damage”. Several neighborhoods were reportedly charred. There are a lot of concerns about the fate of prisoners … pic.twitter.com/y7lRie1ZOF
– esdras ndikumana (@rutwesdras) December 7, 2021
A police source told AFP that help was slow to get there. A first fire truck arrived two hours after the start of the fire, before being joined by six others from nearby provinces, said this source. The fire was caused by a “short circuit”, added the Ministry of the Interior on Twitter. Another fire, already caused by a short circuit, had affected an area of the central prison le last August 21, without causing any victims.