Fire razes Mkaika Market stalls

Some traders are counting losses after fire razed makeshift stalls at Mkaika Market in Nkhotakota on Saturday night.

The fire is reported to have started about 11pm and continued raging until 3am on Sunday morning, reducing property to ashes.

On Sunday morning, traders at the market were seen rescuing what remained from the inferno while others were rebuilding their stalls.

A trader, Zelesi Banda whose restaurant caught fire and was reduced to rubble, said she no longer had goods to sell.

“We are helpless as all our property has been destroyed in the fire accident,” she said.

Meanwhile, the extent of the damage is yet to be established as the council team is still assessing the impact.

The district’s disaster management affairs officer George Zibophe said the assessment report was expected to be completed yesterday.

“We are still assessing the impact of the fire, but we are glad that the incident did not affect many people,” he said.

On his part, Mkaika Market chairperson Albert Moffat appealed to the council to put proper structures at the site following the accident.

“Currently, we don’t know the cause of the fire. The council needs to erect good structures to avoid the recurrence of the same in future,” he said.