adminSifundiso Ndlovu Chronicle Reporter
PROPERTY worth about $250,000 went up in smoke in Bulawayo in the first quarter of the year as incidents of fire continue to rock the city.
Bulawayo chief fire officer Richard Peterson said while the city recorded a slight decline in fire incidents, property destruction remains a cause for concern.
He said the fire brigade attended to 61 fire incidents between January and April compared to 79 during the same period last year.
“We are worried by the value of property being lost to fires. Although there was a slight decrease of 16 percent of fire incidents this year, the property being destroyed is still a concern to us,” said Peterson.
He said the main cause of fire was negligence.
He urged residents to report any fire outbreak immediately. He said the loss of property has a negative impact on the city’s economy as it has sometimes destroyed machinery, leading to loss of income and employment.
Peterson also said fires caused pollution and destroyed the environment.
Meanwhile, a fire and rescue services training workshop opened in Bulawayo yesterday offering 15 courses to fire fighters.
The council is running the session in conjunction with Operation Florian, a UK-based charity and non-governmental organisation that assist fire, rescue and ambulance services throughout the world.
The two-week course will draw fire safety students from the University of Central Lancashire and participants from local authorities across the country.
Online Reporter