Suspected Arson at Moroccan Market Causes Major Losses for Merchants

The fire broke out in the early morning of Friday in this fruit and vegetable and second-hand clothing market. The fire started in a second-hand clothing store before gradually engulfing the entire market, according to the daily Al Akhbar. The result was several stores going up in smoke as well as "dozens of cartons of imported clothing". A team of firefighters dispatched to the scene managed to extinguish the fire after several hours of fighting.

"The losses caused by this fire are very significant. This will lead the merchants to reintegrate the market into bankruptcy and loans, when only a few months have passed since the previous fire that broke out in the market. They are just barely recovering," lamented the head of the Tabriquet Market Merchants Association.

To read: Massive Fire Destroys 60 Shops in Moroccan Market, No Injuries Reported

An investigation has been opened to determine the causes of the fire. In the aftermath, "a number of young people who set out to collect shoes from the market and burned objects found a cloth that smelled of gasoline, which strengthened the hypothesis of a criminal trail," he specified, adding that the merchants are eagerly awaiting the results of the investigation.

A month ago, another fire broke out at the Smara market, in the Karima neighborhood. Two months later, a similar fire occurred in the Tabriquet market. The results of the investigations into these two fires have not yet been revealed.