Lusaka  - A fire has put the start of production at what is expected to be Africa's largest open-pit copper plant on ice, media in the southern African country of Zambia reported Wednesday.

Tuesday's fire gutted a power transformer and substation at Lumwana copper mine in north-west Zambia, causing damage estimated at several millions of dollars, local newspapers reported.

The newspapers quoted Lumwana managing director Harry Michael as saying operations at the new facility had been halted pending an assessment of the damage to the equipment by insurance companies.

"We would have been a few weeks away towards first concentrate production if the fire had not caused damages," he said.

Australian-based Equinox Minerals, owners of the mine, are investigating the cause of the inferno.

Lumwana Copper Mines is expected to produce an average of 169,000 tonnes of copper per annum for the first six years of its 37-year lifespan.

The former British colony of Zambia is the world's fourth-largest copper producer. (dpa)