Inferno Leaves 700 Jobless
Over 700 jobs were lost while the lives of several small-scale formal traders operating at the once-thriving Mpopoma Outspan factory are at stake after their factory shells were gutted by fire with property worth millions of dollars going up in flames.
The traders lost furniture and equipment when the fire broke out yesterday morning resulting in the factory being reduced to rubble.
The fire broke out around 5.45am in a small section of the vast factory and quickly spread.
The factory, popularly known as Spamprekini, is situated along Nketa Drive adjacent to Mpopoma Recreational Park.
So enterprising was the factory that Mpopoma Outspan Association had perfected its operations to a level where both big and small buyers from different parts of the country flocked into the humble factory to place their orders.
Last year, Chronicle established that the factory produced around 400 high-quality lounge suites per month, 300 wardrobes and 250 kitchen units.
Now the factory with all its machinery has been reduced to ruins.
When the Chronicle news crew arrived at the scene shortly after 6am, scores of stall owners and residents stood in utter disbelief as they watched helplessly their source of income vanishing in a puff of smoke. Visibly shaken workers, some still in pajamas, watched as fire fighters battled to put out the blaze.
