Government has disclosed that it will deliver a comprehensive statement following the rising cases of fire incidents across the country.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS yesterday, Local Government and Housing Minister Emerine Kabanshi stated that she has since asked officers in her ministry to prepare a report regarding matters and all concerns on how to deal with eventualities of fire accidents.
Ms Kabanshi noted that as government it remains committed to addressing any possible occurrences of fire disasters in the country.
She however said that government is not sitting idle on various issues which the country is encountering adding that it is for this reason that government is taking such reports with the most urgent attention they deserve.
Ms Kabanshi however implored Zambians to stay calm as government works out modalities on the matter pertaining to fire cases.
The country has of late recorded a number of fire cases sweeping through some buildings among them being the Luanshya Railways Building, a Timber Manufacturing company on the Copperbelt and a Block at the Railways Quarters in Kabwe.
In Kabwe this week, fire has burnt a block of quarters consisting of eight (08) apartments at Kabwe’s Railways Quarters Compound, leaving 11 families, homeless.
The fire which started at about 16:00 hours yesterday caused damage to household property worth millions of Kwacha.
The fire also gutted some important academic and employment documents belonging to the occupants who cried as they helplessly watched their apartments go down in flames.
[pullquote]Residents have, however, condemned the poor response of the fire crew, which was notified about the incident a few minutes after the fire started but only arrived at the scene an hour later.[/pullquote]
However, no life was lost in the inferno, as everybody rushed out of the apartments, immediately.
The cause of the fire and extent of the damage have not yet been established, although the residents said the fire was as a result of poor electrical wiring and clustering.
Residents have, however, condemned the poor response of the fire crew, which was notified about the incident a few minutes after the fire started but only arrived at the scene an hour later.
And Kabwe District Commission, Patrick Chishala, expressed disappointment over the conduct of fire fighters who did nothing but neglected the community they serve.
Earlier, the fire crew arrived at the scene without water, much to the disappointment of the occupants and upset residents who watched from the streets.
By the time the fire crew came back, the entire block had collapsed and all household property was in ashes.
Meanwhile, there was a near punch up between residents and fire brigade officers as the residents accused the fire fighters of arriving too late to quench the inferno.
ZANIS
We pay a lot of money to councils on fire certificates but nothing is shown for it. If I had a choice I would stop paying.
Many times we blame fire fighters but have we tried to find out the problems there facing?these people need a spokesperson because its too much of blaming them as if fire brigade is a private institute,
Expect more fires, more inescapable situations,more combustible mix and more costly losses bacause Sata approved very careless and flameable street vending.Its all done in the name of votes & politics.
CORRECT
Many a time alot of properties and lives are lost year in year out due to fire.This incidents are preventable if you fellow the simple basic rules of safety.
1) Let a qualified electrician do the electrical wiring of your house or building.
2) Do not overload your socket outlets and extension reels/cables.
3) Buy quality electrical fittings-MCBs,Sockets,Gang Switches, extension cable/reels.
4) You have to know the capacity of your electrical fittings.
5) If you are using a candle always ensure that you place the candle on a steel or ceramic plate that do not burn when the candle falls or diminishes (Always use candle stands).
6) I know in Zambia and Africa in general its not a priority.Learn to have a fully charged fire extinguisher in your house or building even in your vehicle.
that right , everytime with little water or no water ,change people in charge of the firebrigade !!!
The basic fact in every situation is better training and preparation.
Photo 2. How do you successfully put out a fire without evacuation the people?
If explosive gas was present on the premises, they are fatal casualities.
Question: Why are the PF setting country on fire?
Pic2. The Fire-brigade looks too weak, thank God those 2 teachers in front decided to lead the action.
I really don’t know why am so negative, but even the uniforms of the Firemen can’t be fire-proof, those gumboots?
The 2 teachers shouldn’t even be involved from both legal and professional perspectives especially given that you noted the lack of fire proof wear.
We are an SME Company ( Sparerite Distributors Limited based in Ndola) registered with the Zambian Government. We wish to partner with the Government to help fight and combat the prevailing out breaks of fires in our country by supplying fire fighting  equipment and accessories and training the staff on how to operate these equipments. We have partnered with the manufacturers of fire fighting equipments i.e fire fighting engines to easy mobilization of goods and services.
We can be contacted on:
+260212613034, +260 969914249, +2600955883944
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You are the ones causing fires to sell your equipment. Why don’t you sell water supply?
Yesterday in Mbala 19 shops were completely burnt.
The Water and Sewerage companies are a big let down. How long do we have to wait for running water?! I would have FIRED all their managers if I had the power. Just fooling around in luxury while delivering no output even when water is available in abundance a stone’s through away!
Untrained & wrongly attired civilians should never be allowed to handle fire equipment.If such a person gets hurt in the process does he sue the fire company? Even the poor fire fighters have wrong & flameable clothing and lots of onlookers within range of great harm.Lots of safety and procedural wrongs here.
The fire service in this country has never been a priority for decades. On the Copperbelt, it was ZCCM which provided fire service – excellent ones for that matter. It is cheap politics to suggest PF are responsible for the current problems. The problem here is corruption. Politicians in Lusaka are not willing to surrender money to the councils and to allow councils to set their own priorities and budgets. Only local people would know what to spend money on. Instead, a lot of money gets wasted in Lusaka, leaving other towns and cities with crumbling facilities. The only solution is decentralisation and local accountability. It is not rocket science. Unfortunately, the thieving politicians in Lusaka are not willing to give up control of money!
We need to stop thinking that a messiah in the form of a good president will come and solve our problems. All politicians in Zambia are the same. We have been recycling leaders for a long time. The people currently in office were at one point or another in previous governments. There seems to be a lack of original thinking. We are still saddled with pre-colonial administrative structures, which are no longer relevant. In the meantime, the country which gave us these structures, UK, has modernised and done away with them.