Last weekend Nathalie and I cruised to downtown Dakar, a trip that takes us past countless construction sites for residences, offices buildings, apartment complexes. As I’ve mentioned before, Senegal is a “developing” country and the evidence is in the amount of building that is underway…everywhere. All projects are constructed of the same material: concrete block covered with stucco.
I observed to myself—and almost said to Nathalie—“Limited risk of fires with all this concrete block construction.” But I didn’t say it. And this afternoon, I found out my assumption was wrong!
Around 6:30, a fire started in the closet that houses all the electrical circuits for our complex of four businesses and two apartments. "Snap, crackle and pop" quickly escalated to explosions, followed by roaring flames. Black smoke poured through the corridor that connects our ocean-side apartment to the street.
Those of us who live here scurried to get out…Nathalie grabbed Seal and his bottle…I packed a bag with my computer, cameras and electrical converter…and we raced through the construction site next door and out to the street where a chattering crowd of residents, business owners, vendors , people walking home from work had gathered. It was the same crowd of interested by-standers who gather wherever there is a disaster.
In two months of living in Dakar, I have not heard a fire alarrm nor seen a fire truck..a “pompier” in French. And this evening, we didn’t see one until about a half-hour after the fire had been drowned in buckets and buckets of sand.
The good news? No one was hurt. Damage was minimal. Only one business lost power. Seal is safe. And as in many other cultures, the firemen are hunky and handsome!
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