Goods worth undisclosed amount of money were gutted this morning when fire swept through a multi-million Kwacha building complex in Kitwe town housing a number of shops including Carnival Furnishers.
The building complex known as Yemba, situated along Matuka Avenue next to Barclays Bank and opposite Kitwe Main Post Office in the central business district (CBD) went up in flames in the early hours of the morning gutting a number of merchandise.
Among the severely affected shops were Carnival Furnishers and Yamaje Trading, stocking a range of various imported household goods such as home furniture, electrical appliances and clothes which were reduced to rubble.
On the scene around 07:45 hours, some of the shop owners were found watching haplessly as a combined team of fire-brigade from the Kitwe City Council, Mopani Copper Mines and the Copperbelt Energy Corporation struggled to put off the inferno that was now fast spreading to Barclays Bank.
Kitwe District Commissioner Elias Kamanga and Kitwe City Council chief Fire Officer, Stanley Sichivula who were spotted on the scene of fire, said they suspected an electrical faulty in one of the shops sparked the inferno which later spread to other shops within the complex.
Yemba building complex owner, Beatrice Sichizya who could not help it but to cry said she received a phone call around 06:00 hours informing her about the fire.
The distressed Ms Sichizya said when she got to the building complex they noticed smoke emerging from the ceiling in the roof of Yamaje Trading but could not see the fire itself until moments later when fire flames became visible.
“That is how we called the police and the fire-brigade from Kitwe City Council which came but unfortunately was not sufficient to contain the inferno and this was how they called for reinforcement,” Ms Sichizya said amid sobs.
And confusion characterized the CBD as unscrupulous individuals who had besieged the scene of the fire incidence tried to take advantage of the burning building to loot some goods.
Alert police in full riot gear fired teargas canister causing commotion around town with people scampering in different direction upon being choked.
Nearly all the shops along Matuka Avenue were kept closed while offices were immediately deserted as the teargas canister filtered through in the surrounding buildings brining business to virtue standstill.
Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge inspected the gutted shops soon after the fire brigade contained the inferno around 09:00 hours.
Mr Musenge was happy with the quick response by the fire brigade team saying had they delayed, many other properties including Barclays Bank could have been gutted.
Copperbelt police commissioner Joyce Kasosa said the fire completely gutted Yamaje Trading while Carnival Furnishers was partially destroyed.
Ms Kasosa said the value of goods destroyed was not known and that the exact cause of fire was yet to be established as investigations were still underway.
Too bad.Glad the fire was contained before it spread further.
I wonder what would have been left behind just a few years back. Jut thinking…..
I am so sorry Ms Sichizya.
WHEN DO YOU CALL FIRE BRIGADE?????????????????????????????????????The distressed Ms Sichizya said when she got to the building complex they noticed smoke emerging from the ceiling in the roof of Yamaje Trading but could not see the fire itself until moments later when fire flames became visible.
“That is how we called the police and the fire-brigade from Kitwe City Council which came but unfortunately was not sufficient to contain the inferno and this was how they called for reinforcement,” Ms Sichizya said amid sobs.
when you see smoke, know that there is fire!!!!!!!!!!!
But ku Zambia, they called the owner and not the fire brigade first.
I don’t know how to make of this scenario..
As someone, who consults in Health and Safety and has been delivering a “Fire Safety Awareness” course at the Tomlinson centre, my heart bleeds. These things can be prevented by putting the right measures into place by people who have competence in these areas, we need to have the right attitudes. This is about saving peoples lives and jobs. The costs to make this right will be colossal. Our country needs to start treating health and safety issues as a priority as far as managing businesses is concerned. My experience in the UK especially recently is fire safety training has become a bigger priority, this should not just be from a legislative requirement but as good business practice.
Mr Musenge was happy with the quick response by the fire brigade team saying had they delayed, many other properties including Barclays Bank could have been gutted.
Ms Sichizya did you insure your property against fire?
i dont think it was insured judging from the degree of sobbing.even then the many small shops around the complex will not be compensated.ots time for plan b
@eng
..even if u had insured the property, with such a disaster u cannot go smiling about. Jobs, goods and property have been ‘destroyed’ by fire, may be she dependent on rentals…. it will take time to claim insurance later on reconstruction of the building…
In some countries when you see smoke you are expected to leave the building and alarm the fire fighters but zambia you see smoke and you dont and expect the fire fighters to redeem things when its gone. Be alert and dontcwait too bad anyway
So the owner of the building had to wait to prove that it was fire that is when she called authorities?!!!! Typical Copperbelt attitude!
I’m impressed by the manner in which you’ve reported this incidence: very informative.
Keep it up LT.
It is an insurance fraud. Barclays Bank swindled borrowers of their hard earned money and externalised through Africa Life billions of kwacha through credit life assurance. And now it is going to make claim outside Zambia, keep the money overseas and repair/build the branch from local funds, pay no tax and smile all the way to their overseas bank account. PF government is all mouth no trousers. Why is it allowing fronting to go on with connivance of international brokers at the cost of Zambian brokers, taxpayers and indigenous insurance companies. When we have ZSIC, PICZ, Madison 100% Zambian companies why allowing mushrooming of insurance companies owned by foreigners? When we have 35 local broking firms why allow Marsh and Aon to become conduit of externalising profits through high…
Patriotic Ferson waloba ilyauma. Who said the Barclays building was gutted? Read properly before ranting on a public forum and expressing your ignorance…
Count your blessings they all lived to fight another day; such is life and those are the spoils of war!
Awe cabipa bane. I am wishing you all the best as you recover from this disaster. Time is fair to all – you will recover.
Why do people in Zambia always suspect an electric fault when there is a fire? Is electricity the only cause of fire? Infact in an electric installation you always expect the the system to immediatly switch off in the event of a fault thus preventing an outbreak of fire.