A deadly midnight blaze tore through the Funu neighborhood of Bukavu, killing 14 members of two families and plunging the community into grief amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the rebel-controlled city.
By Monday morning, Red Cross workers and local youths were seen combing through the blackened ruins of collapsed houses, carefully retrieving the victims’ remains.
The fire, which broke out around midnight, quickly spread across several homes in an area long plagued by unregulated building practices and dangerous electrical setups.
“I heard strange noises, woke up, and saw the flames,” said survivor Patrick Gedeon, who managed to escape but later discovered that 14 of his neighbors had perished.
Another resident, Olivier Bangalwa, recounted the horrifying moments of entrapment: “When the staircase caught fire, those upstairs had no way out.” Most of the victims were women and children.
The incident exposes Bukavu’s long-standing urban safety issues, where haphazard construction and poor electrical wiring make fires a constant threat.
Adding to the city’s hardship, Bukavu has been under AFC-M23 rebel control since February 2025, further limiting official emergency response.
Though the rebel authorities promised to ensure proper burials for the victims, resident Ngwabuluka Jean voiced the community’s despair: “We have lost everything. There’s nothing left.”
