Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire – September 6, 2026: A major fire at the Société des Transports Abidjanais (SOTRA) Depot 5 in Koumassi, southern Abidjan, has destroyed 40 buses and damaged 15 others, according to company officials.
The blaze broke out around 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, September 6, and quickly spread across the depot. In a statement, SOTRA said the fire is believed to have originated from a bus undergoing maintenance before engulfing nearby vehicles.
“The provisional assessment shows that 55 buses were damaged, including 40 that were completely burned. SOTRA wishes to reassure the public that this fire caused no loss of human life,” the company confirmed.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident and how the fire spread through the facility.
While no casualties were reported, the destruction of such a large number of buses is expected to strain Abidjan’s public transport system, which relies heavily on SOTRA’s fleet.
This is not the first time the company has suffered a major fire. In 2025, 19 buses were destroyed at Depot 9 in Abobo, northern Abidjan. The Koumassi blaze, however, represents a significantly larger loss.
Officials say investigations will continue in cooperation with relevant authorities to establish the circumstances and assess the full extent of the damage.
