The curse of burning hotels continues to haunt Zanzibar
Unguja. The curse of burning hotels continues to haunt Zanzibar after the Island Hotel in Kendwa, North Unguja, was destroyed by fire.
The fire at the Island Hotel is the first for the year, but it brings the total number of hotels that have burned down to more than seven in the past two years, including others that were destroyed at different times last year.
Many of the hotels that have burned down are located in South Unguja, including five that burned down at the same time in the Paje last year.
Speaking to The Citizen by phone, the Regional Commissioner of North Unguja, Rashid Hadid Rashid, said that there were no human casualties, apart from the damage caused by the fire at the Island Hotel.
"The hotel was completely destroyed, everything burned down, but no one was injured because there were no guests at the time," he said.
He said that residents and firefighters worked together to control the fire before it caused more damage.
He said that the hotel was made of thatch, which made it more vulnerable to fire, so residents worked with hotel staff to put out the fire.
According to the regional commissioner, the cause of the fire is still unknown, but it is believed to be an electrical short circuit.
To assess the impact of the accident, the regional commissioner said that they are continuing to assess all the property together and then a full report will be issued.
Some witnesses said that the fire spread quickly because of the wind, given that the area is a coastal area.
"Residents worked hard to put out the fire, and by the time firefighters arrived, it was almost extinguished by the residents of the area," said Ashura Khalifa.
Hamis Mzee said that there is a need for a special operation to look into the challenge of the hotels burning down all the time, as it could hamper efforts to attract tourists.
