A fire broke out at Luanshya Bakery in the central business district of Luanshya under unclear circumstances, causing extensive damage to the property.

Permanent Secretary at Cabinet Office, Kennedy Kalunga, who was present at the scene, described the incident as unfortunate.

ZANIS reports that Copperbelt Police Commanding Officer, Peacewell Mweemba confirmed the fire, stating that it occurred last night around 20:15 hours and was reported by 58-year-old Nikos Taktikos, the owner of the bakery located in the heart of the town.

Mweemba explained that both the police and the Luanshya Municipal Council Fire Brigade responded swiftly. 

However, the fire brigade ran out of water, prompting the involvement of the Chinese Luanshya Mine Fire Brigade, who quickly responded and Later, the Luanshya Fire Brigade returned to assist in extinguishing the fire.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the bakery was operating on a generator due to load shedding at the time of the fire.

The total value of the damaged property has not yet been determined, and investigations are ongoing to establish the exact cause.

Permanent Secretary Kalunga expressed relief that the fire was eventually controlled and did not spread to neighboring buildings. 

He emphasized that the bakery is situated near vital institutions, including the Zambia College of Distance Education, and a wider fire could have had far-reaching consequences for the community.

Mr Kalunga said the fire was  a significant loss for the people of Luanshya, but he was thankful that the fire was contained before causing more damage to other critical buildings.

He commended both the local and Chinese fire brigades for their swift action, noting that their prompt response prevented a greater disaster.