Fire gutted a shop in the busiest commercial centre in Kigali city on Monday evening destroying goods worth Rwf 50 million, according to the owner.

The fire that ravaged the Magasin El-Shadai started at around 7 pm shortly after the business owner Anita Mukayije had closed shops, according to eye witnesses.

Witnesses said that police initially failed to put off the fire but the situation was rescued by Electrogaz workers who disconnected electricity.

"Had Electrogaz arrived on time the fire would have gutted fewer goods. But when we called them it took them about an hour to get here and the fire had spread,” an eye witness said.

Police said they were still trying to identify the cause of the fire though initial indications pointed to an electric short circuit.

"Some one I even don’t know called me shortly after reaching home that my shop was burning. I left my shop when everything was fine but I was shocked to hear this news,” Mukayije said.

When this reporter reached at the scene on Tuesday morning, there was a heap of the destroyed goods in front of the burnt down shop.

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