The Ministerial committee on market fires has urged Lilongwe city vendors to go back in Tsoka market as the police investigation on the fire that gutted the market continues.

Chairperson of the committee Tarsizio Gowero, who is also minister of Local government and rural development made the remarks at a press briefing in Lilongwe.

Gowero said his committee has not yet come up with exactly what caused the fire but has made some recommendations that will guide the nation on how to deal with markets fires that have come up to nine since 2004.

He said the committee has asked Police to finalize investigations and apprehend the culprits as a matter of urgency so as to deter would be perpetrators from committing similar crime.

The minister said over one thousand vendors lost property worth over 961 million kwacha in Tsoka market fire alone, which he said is a sad scenario on social economic development of the country.