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From DAILY NEWS Reporter in Zanzibar, 26th December 2010 @ 19:00, Total Comments: 0, Hits: 97
A POLICE station in Mkokotoni, about 46km north of Stone Town, was on Saturday night gutted down by fire, following an electric fault, police said on Sunday.
"Although no life was lost, police records as well as other items including light firearms were destroyed.
"Preliminary investigation shows that the cause of fire was electric fault," the Unguja North Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Masoud Mtulia said.
Residents of the area came out of their houses and watched helplessly as the fire which started at around 1.30am razed down the building.
"Fire fighters from the state fire service at Mahonda got to the scene of the incident later on and managed to put off the fire and salvaged the remains of the police station by around 6am," he said.
The RPC said the work was done in collaboration with the police and the people around. He said when the fire started there was only one suspect who was arrested for being in illegal possession of bhang at the station.
"The suspect was safely evacuated from the burning building," he said.
Mr Mtulia, however, said his office had copies of records of all criminal cases and that all offenders whose files were burnt would still be prosecuted. Mkokotoni Police station was serving large part of Unguja North Region.
The RPC said the actual loss caused by the fire was not immediately known but maintained that it was a big damage.
The Zanzibar Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Mussa Ali, the Second-Vice President, Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi and Zanzibar North Regional Commissioner Pembe Juma Khamisi, who arrived at the scene accompanied by some other police officers, described the incident as unfortunate.
Ambassador Iddi said: "It is high time electric wiring systems at all police stations are examined to avoid such accidents in future."
CP Ali said the station was built before the Zanzibar Revolution of 12 January, 1964 as a prison.
In a similar incident, this year, three tourist hotels were burnt down at Jabiani village, South of Unguja.
Fire also destroyed several tourist resorts and a diving centre at Nungwi suburb, about 70 kilometres north of Zanzibar Stone Town.
A POLICE station in Mkokotoni, about 46km north of Stone Town, was on Saturday night gutted down by fire, following an electric fault, police said on Sunday.
"Although no life was lost, police records as well as other items including light firearms were destroyed.
"Preliminary investigation shows that the cause of fire was electric fault," the Unguja North Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Masoud Mtulia said.
Residents of the area came out of their houses and watched helplessly as the fire which started at around 1.30am razed down the building.
"Fire fighters from the state fire service at Mahonda got to the scene of the incident later on and managed to put off the fire and salvaged the remains of the police station by around 6am," he said.
The RPC said the work was done in collaboration with the police and the people around. He said when the fire started there was only one suspect who was arrested for being in illegal possession of bhang at the station.
"The suspect was safely evacuated from the burning building," he said.
Mr Mtulia, however, said his office had copies of records of all criminal cases and that all offenders whose files were burnt would still be prosecuted. Mkokotoni Police station was serving large part of Unguja North Region.
The RPC said the actual loss caused by the fire was not immediately known but maintained that it was a big damage.
The Zanzibar Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Mussa Ali, the Second-Vice President, Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi and Zanzibar North Regional Commissioner Pembe Juma Khamisi, who arrived at the scene accompanied by some other police officers, described the incident as unfortunate.
Ambassador Iddi said: "It is high time electric wiring systems at all police stations are examined to avoid such accidents in future."
CP Ali said the station was built before the Zanzibar Revolution of 12 January, 1964 as a prison.
In a similar incident, this year, three tourist hotels were burnt down at Jabiani village, South of Unguja.
Fire also destroyed several tourist resorts and a diving centre at Nungwi suburb, about 70 kilometres north of Zanzibar Stone Town.
