ANOTHER FIRE GUTS SOME SHOPS IN KITWE

A fire has swept through some shops in Kitwe, destroying various property and merchandise worth thousands of kwachas.

A visit by Phoenix News at the scene located behind Salvation Army Church, near the Kalulushi bus station in town center, found the shops which also include a butchery and a saloon, completely burnt with several traders in despair.

According the victims, two of the four shops were used as depots and cold rooms for various perishable goods, all of which have been burnt with the exact number of traders affected yet to be ascertained as market associations were conducting registration by broadcast time.

Some of the affected traders have reportedly lost as much as K100,000 worth of fish and fridges in the fire suspected to have started around 01:00 hours this morning, and have called on government to quickly come to their aid.

And Association of Vendors and Marketeers -AVEMA Zambia Copperbelt Province Chairman Aston Sakala has called for heightened security at trading facilities after witnessing the fourth fire within Kitwe this year.