Some four shops are reported to have been reduced to ashes following a fire outbreak at the Bafia market in the Mbam and Inoubou Division of the Centre region of Cameroon, sources have said.

Reports say the fire incident which occurred this Tuesday December the 3rd consumed a number of shops including an electronic sales shop, a bar and a spare part store due to their proximity.

According to locals, the damage would have been limited had it been elements of the fire fighting brigade had shown up by the time the fire started.

The causes of the fire are still to be established though some vendors attribute it to poor cable connections, reportedly responsible for most fire outbreaks in some main markets in Cameroon.