Around 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, fire broke out in a shop in Toliara, then spread to another and eight others in succession. According to initial witness accounts, an electrical short circuit from one of the shops is believed to have caused the fire. Small tool shops, fashion boutiques, bag and sandal stores located against the wall of the regional Youth and Sports directorate in Ankilifaly burned down in half an hour.
"Most traders renting these spaces use a single electrical source. The wires often get tangled and are not properly arranged. This may have caused the fire," explained a shopkeeper across the way, who rents a shop near the Anglican church in Ankilifaly.
The fire spread rapidly because the shops are made of wood and corrugated metal. Three or four shops had opened in the morning when everything still seemed normal.
Most tenants close on Sunday afternoons and were not on the premises when the disaster struck. It was also noted that the back rooms of some shops serve as living quarters for their occupants.
Firefighters arrived about ten minutes after the flames began spreading, visible from Andaboly and Sanfily. The Toliara urban municipality's public works service has only one truck. "From what I saw, the firefighters couldn't do much with just one water tanker. It took quite some time to fully extinguish the fires," said an eyewitness. There are no fire hydrants in the area.
The intensity of the flames began to decrease about an hour after the fire started. Affected traders suffered double damage. One asked for help as some of his merchandise could still be saved, while firefighters were spraying water elsewhere. Instead, individuals took advantage to steal from them. Some threw bags out of the shops while others caught them in mid-air and fled with them.
One shop owner fainted seeing the devastating scene. "She lost everything in an hour," said one of her friends.