A massive fire has destroyed a residential property in Burnside, Bulawayo, after flames spread from a nearby stand-clearing exercise and threatened surrounding areas, including Whitestone Primary School.
The blaze broke out at No. 67 Cathkine Lane at around 11:00 on Monday. It is believed to have started when a man at No. 244 Arnold Way ignited a fire while clearing land, but the flames quickly grew out of control.
Chief Officer of the Bulawayo Fire and Ambulance Service, Mhlangano Moyo, confirmed the incident, saying firefighters managed to stop the fire from spreading further.
“We managed to save two structures in the property affected, the other structures were destroyed by the fire. On the other side the fire was spreading to Whitestone School so we deployed our men to save neighbouring properties and also Whitestone School. Only this structure was affected,” said Moyo.
He added that the situation had been worsened by weather conditions.
“As you know burning is not allowed without the permission of the Bulawayo City Council, unfortunately the fire got out of hand due to the wind,” he said.
Moyo said a full assessment of the damage was still under way.
“In terms of assessment on the property that was damaged, we are still accessing the damage. This house was severely gutted down by fire and generally 99 percent of the property was in flames, however we managed to save only two structures,” he said.
Seven fire trucks were deployed to bring the blaze under control.
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