Left to burn: Gonaïves, a city of almost 400,000, has gone nearly a decade without a fire truck

GONAÏVES — When a fire erupted in Sergot Dalmacir’s home, ignited by an exploding gallon of fuel stored in a rented room, he could not save his belongings. The blaze, unstoppable, reduced everything to ashes. In a city with no operational fire truck or fire services for nearly a decade, Dalmacir and his neighbors were left to battle the flames with buckets of water, their efforts hopeless against the raging flames.

“We became victims because someone was selling fuel illegally. When the explosion happened, there was nothing we could do,” Dalmacir told The Haitian Times in December.

Powerless against the raging flames, Dalmacir is certain he could have salvaged something—if only the city had a working fire department. Dalmacir’s story is not unique. Across Gonaïves, families have watched helplessly as their homes, businesses, and livelihoods have faced devastating fires and were reduced to ashes without an emergency response. 

With 391,173 residents, according to a recently published 2024 population estimate by the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (IHSI), Gonaïves is the most populous city in Haiti’s Artibonite department and one of its most densely packed urban centers. 

Nearly 50% of its population is under 20 years old, meaning thousands of children, schools, and public spaces remain dangerously unprotected in the event of a fire. Yet, for nearly a decade, the city has had no operational fire trucks or firefighting services. In a city where homes, businesses, and markets sit tightly clustered together, even a small fire can spread rapidly, turning into a large-scale disaster with no emergency response. 

“We are obliged to advocate to the diaspora community to equip the city of Gonaïves with a fire truck.”

Beken Petit Hommes, general secretary of the civil society organization in Gonaïves.

The risks are further compounded by Gonaïves’ vulnerability to natural disasters—its weakened infrastructure from past hurricanes and flooding makes buildings even more prone to collapse in a fire. With no fire department, residents are left forming human chains, using buckets of water and sand, but against raging fires, their efforts are often futile. Now, community organizations are calling for urgent action to fix what they say is a critical public safety failure that puts thousands of lives at risk.

A city on its own

“I lost everything,” Pierre Codio, a property owner in Gonaïves, said, remembering the fire that consumed his home while he, his wife, and their seven children barely escaped with their lives.

The absence of a functioning fire department in Gonaïves has turned every outbreak into a community battle for survival. In the past year alone, multiple fires have erupted in public markets, homes, and businesses, leaving many families destitute.

In June 2024, a pre-dawn fire swept through the city’s communal market, destroying countless goods within hours. Within hours, countless goods were reduced to cinders. Market vendors recounted the horrors when watching in disbelief as all their investments disappeared into the flames. 

“We screamed for help, hoping someone would come,” said one vendor. “But no fire truck ever arrived.”

A call for action: turning to the Haitian diaspora

With the government failing to act, and in response to the growing fear among residents, leaders of many community organizations are now calling on the Haitian diaspora to help equip the city with a functioning fire department.

“We cannot wait for the government anymore,” said Beken Petit-Homme, General Secretary of the organized civil society in Gonaïves. 

“We risk seeing entire neighborhoods wiped out. And without action, it will only get worse.”

Beken Petit-Homme, General Secretary of the organized civil society in Gonaïves.

“We are launching an appeal to the diaspora to raise funds for fire trucks.”

But for many, time is running out. Without immediate action, more homes will burn, more businesses will be lost, and more lives will be put at risk.  The economic toll will deepen as market vendors and small businesses struggle to recover from each disaster.

“We risk seeing entire neighborhoods wiped out,” Petit-Homme warned. “And without action, it will only get worse.”

The post Left to burn: Gonaïves, a city of almost 400,000, has gone nearly a decade without a fire truck appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Left to burn: Gonaïves, a city of almost 400,000, has gone nearly a decade without a fire truck was first posted on March 14, 2025 at 5:40 pm.