LUSAKA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A fire has swept through a popular flea market in Zambia's Ndola city on the Copperbelt Province, destroying hundreds of shops, the civic authorities said on Wednesday.
The fire swept through Masala Kapala Market, a popular market in the city for small traders, in the early hours of Wednesday, reducing the market to ashes.
The civic leaders expressed concern over the incident which has resulted in the small traders losing their goods.
"It pains us deeply to announce that almost the entire Kapala Market in Masala, Ndola has been gutted by a fire that swept through the trading place in the early hours of today," Ndola City Council Town Clerk Wisdom Bwalya said in a statement.
The fire is believed to have started around 01:00 a.m. and although firefighters managed to quench it, the traders had lost their goods, he added.
He said the total cost of damaged goods and merchandise was yet to be ascertained as relevant authorities were still on the ground to ascertain the cause.
Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo has since called for thorough investigations to ascertain the cause of the fire, according to a statement released by his office.
"It is sad and regrettable when we have enjoyed relative calmness and peace that we have to yet record another disaster in an inferno that has gutted Kapala market," he said.
The fire comes barely a month after another fire swept through another popular flea market in Lusaka, the country's capital.
