Patricia Maganu
29 September 2008
Nata Lodge, one of the most popular lodges in Botswana, burned to ashes last week. The fire continues to ravage the forest after relenting at the lodge.
Nata Police Station Commander, Superintendent Kevin Mookodi, said that the fire broke out at the lodge when they were in a workshop there.
"The fire came from the northern side of the hotel and caught on the hotel. When we were alerted of the fire, it had already caught some rooms at the back," he said.
Mookodi said when they moved out of the conference hall, the fire invaded.
"The fire had totally surrounded us and it was overpowering us.
We tried putting it out with the help of a fire engine but the engine ran out of water" he said.
Mookodi said that the fire engine ended up running out of water because the winds that were working against it were so strong.
"By the time the engine was refilled with water the fire had already gotten out of control," he said.
The fire broke out at the lodge two days before World Tourism Day. Mookodi says that nothing much is left of Nata Lodge. "Only two tents survived the fire," he said.
He said that some of the cars that were parked at the lodge also burned down because the owners had gone for the day with the keys and there was no way of moving them.
By Friday, he said, even though the fire had been extiguished at Nata Lodge, it was still ablaze in the forest.
Nata Lodge is a stopover for many tourists travelling to Kasane and Maun.
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