A blaze ripped through the overcrowded settlement of Susan’s Bay in Freetown in March, injuring hundreds. British photographer Henry Kamara, of Sierra Leone descent, documents the aftermath in this coastal community as people try to rebuild their lives
Henry Kamara
Main image: Susan’s Bay in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where a devastating fire has left more than 7,000 people homeless. Photograph: Henry Kamara
Thu 27 May 2021 04.30 EDT Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 11.40 EDT
Susan’s Bay is one of Freetown’s largest and poorest informal settlements. A fire that began on the evening of Wednesday, 24 March destroyed homes and businesses.
Sierra Leone’s fire service responded quickly but a lack of access roads prevented fire engines reaching Susan’s Bay. The fire ripped through buildings in the community, burning for more than seven hours.
People living in informal settlements, such as Susan’s Bay, are at greater risk of fire disasters. Dense housing often constructed with combustible material can cause fire to spread rapidly. Tents have been put up among the rubble.
A report by Sierra Leone’s National Disaster Management Agency said the fire had injured 409 people, including 21 children. More than 7,000 people, including 1,200 children, from 1,600 households have been left homeless.
The cause of the disaster is not yet known but economic and energy poverty in settlements increases the risk of fire. Residents often use open fires or have illegal or faulty electrical connections.
Many children have been unable to return to school after the fire. Families already living in desperate conditions lost the little they had and school buildings were destroyed.
The fire destroyed 70% of the settlement’s infrastructure. Overcrowding, poor sanitation and lack of water have made residents more vulnerable to the spread of Covid-19 and increased the risk of water-borne diseases.
Government organisations and charities have been providing emergency shelters but as the rainy season reaches its peak many people are still without adequate housing.
As well as losing their homes and property over 70% of those affected by the fire lost their livelihoods putting them at risk of extreme poverty and hunger.
The National Disaster Management Agency and charities have provided some families with materials to start constructing permanent homes, but many are still living in makeshift shelters.
