A DEVASTATING fire at Zambia’s only fuel refinery at Indeni, in Ndola, the provincial capital of the copperbelt region, has threatened fuel supplies to the country’s copper mines and to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. Presidential affairs minister Eric Silwamba said: “The damage is quite extensive. We estimate that the plant will be shut down for between seven and eight months. It will be necessary to import finished products.” It is thought the fire started on Monday. He added that experts from the Zambian police and the intelligence services have been dispatched to Ndola to investigate the cause of the fire. “We will wait for the investigation to be completed before making public pronouncements,” he said.