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Musawenkosi Moyo
FOUR people narrowly escaped death when their truck, believed to be carrying chemicals, burst into flames while it was stationary.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning near Total Energies Service Station in Bulawayo’s Belmont Industrial area. The truck was parked when flames erupted from the vehicle. The truck burnt for an extended period, causing traffic delays along Plumtree Road. Noticing smoke emanating from the front of the vehicle where they sat, the four people inside the truck rushed outside to discover a raging fire consuming one of the trailers.
“The smoke was overpowering, filling the front cabin and forcing us out,” said Terrance Matibela (25), one of the four delivery crew members.
“We scrambled out coughing and gasping for air. As soon as I got out, I saw flames erupting from the first trailer. It was terrifying!”
When a B-Metro news crew arrived at the scene an anonymous caller had promptly alerted the fire brigade to the blaze. The fire brigade responded swiftly, dispatching a fire engine and crew to tackle the inferno. Firefighters battling the blaze discovered a leak from the truck, causing hazardous chemicals to spill onto the ground.
“The environment is being compromised as we speak,” said Mhlangano Moyo, Chief Fire Officer at Bulawayo Fire and Rescue Services.
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“Our primary concern is to prevent water contamination. We’ll be working alongside the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to identify these chemicals and assess the danger they pose to both public health and the environment.”
Online Reporter