Cigarette stub sparks fire, destroys 40 NRZ coaches

The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has concluded that a cigarette stub caused a fire that destroyed 40 decommissioned coaches at its main station in Bulawayo in September.

Initial reports suggested foul play, especially since a similar incident occurred in Harare, raising suspicions of arson.

However, NRZ general manager Respina Zinyanduko revealed that internal investigations pointed to an employee’s discarded cigarette stub as the cause. The fire resulted in a loss of US$40,000, though the coaches were already decommissioned and awaiting disposal as scrap.