Samoan police and the fire service are investigating the cause of a fire that totally destroyed the main flea market in Apia.
Samoa's main flea market at Savalalo in Apia has been completely destroyed by fire. Photo: RNZ / Tipi Autagavaia
Gas bottle
The blaze started around 6pm on Saturday night, at the Savalalo market near the centre of Apia.
Our correspondent, Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia, says a portable gas stove is suspected to have caused the blaze.
He says he spoke to an eyewitness, one of the market's security guards, who saw smoke rising from one of the stalls.
He says passers by attempted to put out the fire with buckets, but then a gas bottle exploded into flames, prompting other gas bottles nearby to explode.
The guard said when the fire service arrived it was too late to save the structure.
Fire engulfs the Savalalo flea market in Samoa's capital. Photo: RNZ / Tipi Autagavaia
No one harmed
Autagavaia says the cost of the damage is not known but there were stalls full of clothes, handicrafts and goods from small food stalls, where the gas bottles are likely to have been.
No one was inside the building at the time, as the market was closed and business owners had left.
However, Autagavaia says usually the market is full at that time on a weekday, as it is close to the bus terminal, and on school days many children are waiting inside.
School classes start again in Apia on January the 25th.
Autagavaia says it may be hard for the small business owners to find a new location to sell their products, and he is almost certain most of the shopkeepers were not insured.
Samoa flea market on fire pic.twitter.com/xjw7FqkEaB
— kionafeni (@kionafeni) January 16, 2016
At the back of the makeki next to the makeki i'a via @TweetItAWhirl pic.twitter.com/invHpcK6ZQ
— Nate (@NateNauer) January 16, 2016
Flea markets on fire #Samoa #apia.. pic.twitter.com/BTlYcZKL9Z
— Lisi Faletutulu (@lfaletutulu) January 16, 2016
