Fire destroys local market in Dwangwa
Fire has destroyed merchandise of traders worth thousands of Kwachas at Dwangwa local market in Malawi’s central lake-shore district of Nkhotakota.
Spokesperson for Nkhunga police station, Laban Makalani told Nyasa Times that the fire started Sunday afternoon around 2:30 pm by one of the two five-year-old children who torched one the shack with sticks of matches the child was playing with.
He said it took time for people to start putting out the fire because by the time it started most of the traders at the market were gone for prayers while some were in their homes taking some food.
“We don’t have Fire Department here who could assist extinguish the fire. But people tried what they could to put out the fire using the resources available near them like, water and sand,” said Makalani.
Makalani said the market which is full of grass- thatched structures is where people go to buy food items like, potatoes, vegetables, fish, and cassava.
“About 80 percent of the merchandise has been gutted by fire. We are yet to find out the amount of property lost but it is estimated at thousands of Malawi Kwachas,” said Makalani.
He said there is nothing the police could do to the child who started the fire because it was an accident and also too young.
The incident comes few days after another market was gutted by fire in the country’s southern district of Balaka.
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