After the inferno: Sierra Leone’s poorest struggle to recover from slum fire – in pictures

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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

  • 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.
    Wooden boats along the coast at Susan’s Bay, Freetown

  • 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.
    Tents among the rubble in Susan's Bay

  • 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.
    Children play outside tents in Susan's Bay

  • 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.
    A woman and child outside a tent surrounded by rubbish

  • 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.
    Adults and children queue to receive aid in Susan's Bay

  • 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.
    Woman and child embrace in a makeshift shelter

  • 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.
    Children stand inside a tent

  • Government organisations and charities have been providing emergency shelters but as the rainy season reaches its peak many people are still without adequate housing.
    A child outside a corrugated house

  • 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.
    Women and children at Susan’s Bay

  • Rebuilding after the fire has been a slow and difficult process.
    People gather outside a sawmill in Susan’s Bay

  • 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.
    Children sit on a wall outside a building in Susan's Bay
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