Zomba City Council fire brigade struggled to contain fire which razed Malawi’s most historic landmark Hotel Masongola on Sunday as it damaged a lot of property.
Residents of Zomba City were on Sunday afternoon left upset as they helplessly watched Hotel Masongola go up in flames.
Zomba City Council fire brigade arrived late at the scene to save the historical landmark from the uncontrollable fire.
The fire brigade team was forced to leave the hotel still blazing to refill their vehicle which had runout of water, and returned afterwards to put down the blaze which had already wrecked the iconic structure.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established as some quarters blame it on the renovations which were underway at the hotel that they might have triggered a short-circuit in the hotel’s wiring.
The amount of damage from the fire is also yet to be established.
Built in 1886, Hotel Masongola which housed Kamuzu Banda’s first Office as President of Malawi has been under Malawi government until recently when it was sold to some business persons.
The Hotel was declared as a National monument by Malawi government has been a home for tourists.
The hotel has been non-operational for months due to renovations which were taking place there.
