Part of Lalani Lodge in Bulawayo was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Friday, prompting a major response from the city’s fire brigade.
The blaze broke out at the Fortunes Gate property shortly after midnight, with firefighters receiving the distress call at around 12:30am.
Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Mhlangano Moyo said firefighters arrived on the scene to find a double-storey building engulfed in flames.
“On arrival, the brigade found a double-storey structure built of brick under thatched grass well alight, with raging flames visible as far as Mater Dei Hospital,” said Moyo.
On this topic
Six fire engines and two Bulawayo City Council water bowsers were dispatched to the scene, arriving within minutes of the call.
Moyo said firefighters immediately conducted a risk assessment and implemented evacuation procedures before launching operations to contain the blaze.
He said two teams were deployed to battle the burning structure while another team worked to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
“The brigade strategically deployed firefighting operations to deal with the fire. While two teams focused on the engulfed structure, another team worked to cut off the spread of the fire to adjacent buildings,” he said.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control after about one-and-a-half hours.
Although part of the lodge was extensively damaged, other structures on the property were successfully saved from the flames.
No injuries or fatalities were reported.
The cause of the fire had not yet been established by the time of publication.
Leave a Reply