Fire guts down male hostel at St Luke’s College of Nursing
An enormous fire, whose cause is not yet known, has razed one of the male hostels at St. Luke’s College of Nursing in Malawi’s former capital.
The institution, authorities said, has not experienced an accident of such a magnitude since its establishment in 1972.
The fire, according to one student, was first spotted at around 1:15 in the afternoon when most of them were away from the boarding area.
“Most of us were either in the library or classrooms and so it was too late for us to save the situation when we reached there. I do not sleep in that hostel, but I know my friends have lost a lot of valuables,” said the student who refused to be named, saying it was against the college’s principle for students to grant interviews to the press.
When quizzed on whether some students indulged in hostel cooking, he said: “I cannot comment on that. But, yes, you cannot afford buying meals from the cafeteria throughout the semester.”
College Principal, Maxwell Pangani, told the media Thursday morning that they called in fire fighters immediately before the inferno could gut nearby buildings.
“Fire fighters from the Zomba City Council fire department came to the scene and managed to put out the fire,” said Pangani.
According to Pangani, mattresses and clothes as well as personal computers belonging to the students have been lost to the inferno.
“We’re yet to establish the exact cost of damage that has been done. But we will do so soon,” said Pangani.
St Luke’s College of Nursing and Midwifery was established in 1972, and its goal on inception was to train nurses for its hospital and health centres, but today, due to the national demands and trends of development, both its mission and goal have changed.
The initial enrolment at the college was as low as 6 per annum, but recently it has grown gradually to over 150 in 2017 and, subsequently, this has also seen an increase in numbers for both academic and administrative staff.
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