Janza loses everything in short circuit fire

FIRE yesterday swept through Honour Janza’s house, destroying property worth thousands of Kwacha.

Janza’s house was one of the four rented apartments gutted in Ibex Hill area in Lusaka.

The FAZ technical director, who was reportedly in Kabwe, could not pick calls when contacted over the development.

But Janza’s neighbour, Raphael Kumwenda, who suffered the same fate, said the fire started from a Zesco service cable on top of the four flats around 06:00 hours.

The visibly shocked Kumwenda, a ZNBC employee, said other neighbours driving out of the complex alerted him but that it was too late to do anything.

“We just noticed a fire in the morning, apparently our neighbours who were driving from the other end noticed the fire on top of the roof. They came banged the door, saying the houses were on fire. The time I was opening the bedroom door, the entire house was in smoke so I only managed to run out. We lost everything that was in the houses. We could not save anything at that moment. Fire started from the service cable on top of the houses; just where it connects to the buildings. You can imagine all the household goods, everything gutted! We only managed to save ourselves, I am confused,” said Kumwenda.

And proprietor of the complex, Celina Masika, explained that the gutted houses were worth K1.8 million.

Masika, a retired banker, narrated that intermittent power supply caused the fire.

“Power normally goes around 06:00 hours but today it delayed. It kept going on and off until when the fire was spotted. I have just finished these houses and have not insured them yet. Zesco came here to do the assessment and left later, so let me wait for their findings,” said Masika.

The Post