MWEMBE Tayari, a mini-market in the
municipality of Dodoma, was gutted down by fire last night and reduced to
ashes.
The mini-market
popularly known for the presence of used motor vehicle spare parts and building
materials was burnt to ashes at around 22.30 hours on Friday night.
The fire also destroyed
eight shops and an unspecified number of valuables.
The mini-market Vice
Chairman, Mr Aloyce Mborro, said that preliminary information shows that the
source of the fire has yet to be known claiming that the half an hour delay
before the fire brigade arrived has not yet been explained. The brigade,
however, failed to extinguish the fire when it arrived.
Mr Mborro said smoke was
seen billowing from the centre of the market by people (including himself) who
were watching a football match at a sports centre near the market.
Another victim of this
disaster, Mr Salvatore Shio, who lost his shop with commodities whose value has
been estimated at more than 30m/- said, maybe the fire source originated from a
kitchen owned by food vendors within the market.
Mr Shio, who is also
among the committee members of the management team of the market explained that
there is a tendency by food sellers particularly those who are not careful, use
charcoal a source of energy, and place a pot of boiling beans to boil
overnight.
Mr Shio said this could
be the source of the destructive fire. However, none of the night security
guard was available during the incident.
Mr Shio said they are
eight in number. Upon hearing the news some of them fled to Kondoa, Singida and
Manyara worrying about their safety. They are afraid of affected traders. Many
business owners were seen perplexed while others were shedding tears. Some fainted
due the shock caused by the impact.
An elderly businesman
who owned a shop, Mr Joseph Aloyce Shio, said that he lost his business
completely. He possessed loans from several financial institutions and does not
know how to repay them.
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