“I lost everything – my goods, my savings, all gone”: Merchants face ruin weeks before the holidays as cause remains unknown
Port-au-Prince, Haiti – December 12, 2025 A raging inferno tore through the Dimone Public Market (also known as Marché Dumornay) in Delmas 33 overnight from December 10 to 11, leaving one of Haiti’s busiest neighborhood markets in ruins and hundreds of small traders with nothing but ashes.
By Thursday morning, the once-vibrant hub of commerce — filled with stalls selling everything from fresh produce and clothing to household goods and spices — was reduced to twisted metal frames, charred iron sheets, and smoldering debris. Dozens of vendor stalls were completely destroyed, with preliminary estimates suggesting total losses for hundreds of merchants who depend on the market for their daily survival.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic night as flames leaped from stall to stall, fueled by flammable goods and cramped conditions. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours, but the lack of adequate water pressure and access roads hampered efforts. By dawn, only smoke and silence remained.
Heartbreak Amid the Rubble
Many vendors arrived at first light to find years of investment gone in hours. Women who had saved for months to stock their stalls stood weeping over the wreckage. Fathers who support entire families through daily sales stared in stunned disbelief.
“I lost everything – my goods, my savings, all gone,” one female merchant told local reporters, her voice breaking. “This market was my life. Now what do I tell my children?”
Another trader, a mother of three, added: “We have no insurance, no safety net. This was all we had.”
With Christmas and New Year’s just weeks away — traditionally the busiest season for market sales — the timing could not be worse. Families who counted on holiday earnings to pay school fees, buy gifts, or simply put food on the table now face an uncertain future.
Calls for Help Grow Urgent
Frustrated and desperate, affected vendors have warned authorities that they will block nearby roads if immediate aid does not arrive. So far, no official statement has come from the Ministry of Commerce, the Port-au-Prince Mayor’s Office, or the central government regarding investigations, relief funds, or rebuilding plans.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Preliminary reports point to possible electrical faults — a common trigger in Haiti’s overcrowded public markets — but arson has not been ruled out. An official investigation is reportedly underway, though details are scarce.
A Recurring Nightmare
This tragedy is painfully familiar. Haiti’s public markets, vital arteries of the informal economy that sustains the majority of the population, are notoriously vulnerable to fires. Overcrowding, makeshift electrical wiring, flammable materials, and the absence of firebreaks or modern safety infrastructure turn small sparks into catastrophes.
In recent years, major markets like Marché Hyppolite in Petit-Goâve, Marché Croix-des-Bossales sections, and others have suffered similar fates, each time wiping out livelihoods overnight.
In a country already battered by gang violence, political paralysis, soaring inflation, and deepening poverty, these disasters hit the most vulnerable the hardest: the madan sara, the street vendors, the small entrepreneurs who keep Haiti fed and moving.
A Call for Solidarity
As news spreads through WhatsApp groups and radio stations, calls for community support are growing. Local organizations and diaspora networks are beginning to organize donation drives for basic relief — tarps, food, cash assistance — but the scale of need is overwhelming.
One thing is clear: the merchants of Dimone Market cannot rebuild alone.
If you’d like to help, stay tuned — L’Union Suite will share verified relief efforts as they emerge.
Our hearts are with every vendor picking through the ashes today. Nou la pou nou. We rise together.
Source: TAK509
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