About forty homes and businesses were destroyed on Tuesday in Sakaramy, in the Antsiranana-II district. The disaster also ravaged nearly 400 hectares of forest and vegetation.
In the rural commune of Sakaramy, located 20 kilometers from the city of Antsiranana, strong winds on Tuesday afternoon acted as a powerful catalyst for the fire, turning what was allegedly a clandestine activity into a disaster with significant human, economic, and environmental consequences. Fueled by powerful gusts, the fire spread so rapidly that residents had little time to react.
In just a few hours, about forty homes and shops were wiped out, and nearly four hundred hectares of forest and vegetation went up in smoke. This provisional toll also includes the loss of hundreds of livestock. According to the mayor of Sakaramy, Solofonirina Ndrianasolo, the flames decimated a portion of the local herd: more than two hundred chickens and about twenty pigs perished in the blaze.
Fortunately, no human lives were lost. However, behind this preserved human toll lies a much harsher reality. The case of a young mother has sparked deep emotion, as everything intended for her newborns was lost in the fire. “This fire has left nearly three hundred people homeless, now facing a situation of great precariousness. The disaster did not only destroy homes; it also hit livestock farmers hard, as their pastures were entirely consumed by the flames, compromising the feed for their cattle and their means of subsistence,” he added.
The battle against the fire lasted nearly five hours, with the presence of about a hundred members of the Ankarana Defense and Security Forces. Despite efforts to contain the flames, several hotspots remained active into the evening, raising the risk of a flare-up.
Faced with the fury of the flames, the village had almost nothing to defend itself with. There were no fire pumps, no fire hoses, and no adapted equipment—only human hands, a few buckets, and tree branches used as makeshift tools. As the fire gained ground, residents desperately tried to contain it with meager means, risking their own safety. The absence of Adema firefighters on the scene did not fail to surprise and upset the residents.
It required the intervention of civil and military authorities of the Diana region, led by Brigadier General Louis Francio Marovavy, to reinforce resources on the ground. Alerted to the scale of the catastrophe, he mobilized large trucks and water tankers to deliver the necessary water to the “fokonolona” (local community members) engaged in the fight. This arrival was decisive in supporting the residents, who had previously been forced to face a fire whose power far exceeded their means.
The extremely rapid progression of the disaster is largely explained by weather conditions. For three days, the trade wind known as “Varatraza” has been blowing with force over Antsiranana.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-17 06:08:48 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/09/antsiranana-le-village-de-sakaramy.html