Blantyre flea market gutted on fire

Assorted merchandises worth millions of Kwacha have been reduced to ashes after fire burnt down the famous Blantyre Flea market in Malawi's commercial capital, pushing hundreds of hawkers into a state of distress and hopelessness.

The incident comes barely a day and two months after other fires razed down 18 structures at Lilongwe's Tsoka Flea market and the entire Bangwe main market in Blantyre respectively. Ndirande market in the city was also razed down.

The General Secretary of the Malawi Union for the Informal Sector, Davies Chimombo, said the blaze tore through the market during the early hours of Monday morning destroying thousands of stalls.

“It is so bad, everything has been gutted and there is nothing that has been saved,” Kayondo said.

Fire recently also destroyed Bangwe market (pictured) in Blantyre

Eye witnesses say, the fire started around 3.00am and preliminary reports indicate that it originated from a burning carton that was thrown into the market from outside by some street kids who sleep along the market's brick fence.

"We saw some flashes of fire around 3.00am and as we came close to seeing what had happened we saw a group of street kids running away from the scene. We suspect that they might have thrown a burning carton inside," recounted an eye witness, Fanuel James, who guards an Indian shop nearby.

A sombre mood swallowed up owners of the structures and hundreds of sympathizers as a fire brigade team from the Blantyre City Council, who were joined by some well wishers, tried to rescue the situation.

A visit to the scene showed heaps of ashes where the fire originated from while on the other end scores of hopeless vendors were up and about trying to break their shops and rescue part of their wares.

The situation was horrifying just as it was confusing that some vendors who had lost all their stuff in the inferno could not help but weep wildly as the fire slowly attacked other parts of the market.

Scores of police officers were scattered all over the scene to provide security to the rescued items.

It was too premature to come up with estimated costs of the lost goods but some traders are putting it at around K300 million.

Other eye witnesses blamed the guards at the market for not being on the alert when the fire just started.

"The guards here were sleeping, they were not vigilant otherwise they would have seen the street kids when they were throwing the burning carton inside the market," agued an eye witness at the scene.

President of the Indigenous Business Association of Malawi (IBAM) Mike Mlombwa who was among the first influential people to visit the scene said he hoped that President Bingu wa Mutharika would take time to visit the market and appreciate the damage caused.

"This is a national disaster because the traders who have lost their goods had their better part of life relying on this market. I am sure the president will visit it and assist the victims," said Mlombwa who claimed to have arrived at the scene at 4.00am

Blantyre Flea market, considered one of the biggest in the country, used to stock expensive and good quality items such as clothes, shoes, audio and video music, hardware and electrical wares, computers and their accessories, phones and their accessories, groceries, etc.

Most of the merchandises which were found in the market were being imported from Tanzania, South Africa and China, among other countries.

Meanwhile, government, through its spokesperson Patricia Kaliati, says it was deeply saddened with the incident because it will affect hundreds of Malawians who earned their living through the market.

The traders have appealed to government for immediate compensation for their losses as they had no other source to feed their families.

Heavy contingent of police were also deployed in and around the Market to avoid any untoward incident.

Nyasa Times 19 Sep, 2011

--
Source: http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/blantyre-flea-market-gutted-on-fire/
~
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com