By Andrew Phiri

Balaka, May 23, Mana: A fire of unknown origin gutted a storage room at Balaka District Hospital late Friday afternoon, causing panic among staff and nearby community members.

In a statement, hospital spokesperson Mercy Nyirenda confirmed that the fire started in an unfinished building being used to store scrap materials.

“We can confirm that a storage room at Balaka District Hospital has been gutted by fire this afternoon. We are currently working to extinguish it using fire extinguishers and water, and we have requested assistance from the Zomba Fire Department, which we are still waiting on,” the statement read.

Hospital officials, accompanied by experts, are yet to investigate the cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage.

Fortunately, no casualties were reported, and the hospital continues to offer medical services to patients.

As of 7:30 p.m., the building was still in flames, with the Zomba fire brigade yet to arrive at the scene.

Community members made efforts to contain the fire, but were unsuccessful due to a lack of adequate firefighting equipment.

This is not the first such incident at Balaka District Hospital. In 2020, a fire destroyed medical supplies worth millions of kwacha in a similar blaze.