According to MTL’s chief commercial officer, Gladson Kuyeri, the fire which started at around six in the evening and speculatively caused by an electric fault, has damaged one of the buildings housing communication equipment, and the equipment itself.

He said the company’s primary concern is to restore services.

“Our primary concern now is to restore services, among them internet and voice services. Companies like Telecom Networks Malawi, Malawi Digital Broadcasting Network Limited and other radio stations that use Lilongwe as their transmission centre, are not functioning,” Kuyeri said.

At the time Zodiak Online spoke with Kuyeri, MTL authorities were convening an impromptu meeting to discuss the issue and map the way forward.

“We can just say the damage is huge for now but officials are convening in a few minutes to probably map the way forward. There should be proper investigation to establish the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage,” he said.

But some people who claimed that they were present during the early stage of the inferno expressed disappointed at the fire brigade’s failure to put out the fire, adding more damage occurred because the brigade’s machine could not pump water.