Kitwe market gutted
By ALEX NJOVUA FIRE on Wednesday morning swept through some parts of Kamitondo market in Kitwe and destroyed property worth millions of Kwacha.
Kitwe City Council chief fire officer Stanley Sichivula confirmed the incident in an interview yesterday.
Mr Sichivula said quick action by a combined team of police and fire fighters prevented the inferno from engulfing the whole market.
“The fire was restricted to a huge container of groceries and assorted merchandise. It was a disaster. The fire started around 03:00 hours and we took about 30 minutes to put it out,” Mr Sichivula said.
He said investigations are underway to ascertain the cause of the fire.
He commended Kamitondo residents for working with fire fighters to put out the fire.
“For now, the value of the items destroyed is not known but a lot of things were destroyed,” Mr Sichivula said.
And Zambia National Marketeers Association president Elvis Nkandu said it is frustrating for traders that fires have continued to destroy their property in markets.
Mr Nkandu said government should build permanent structures at markets to prevent loss of property.
“We are saddened with what happened at Kamitondo market in Kitwe. It is a sad story. Our friends lost a lot of valuables through the fire.
We are just hoping that something can be done to address the issue
once and for all,” Mr Nkandu said.
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