Online Reporter
Wilson Kakurira
Herald Correspondent
Property worth thousands of dollars was destroyed when fire broke out at Jels Court flats in Avondale, Harare yesterday.
The Harare City Fire Brigade responded swiftly to the emergency and managed to contain the blaze before it spread to other sections of the residential complex.
Police confirmed the incident and said investigations were underway.
No injuries or deaths were recorded during the inferno.
It is suspected that the fire could have been caused by fuel, after three containers were found in one of the apartments.
In a statement, the City of Harare confirmed that fuel containers were recovered from one of the apartments where the fire started.
“While investigations are continuing, this is a cause for concern, and we urge residents to make sure that they do not keep dangerous and highly flammable substances like fuel in their residences.
“We have also noted from previous fire incidents that gas stoves also cause a lot of home fires and must, therefore, be kept properly secured,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Convergence Community Emergency Response Team (ConCERT) founder Mr Webster Jaricha has commended the Harare City Fire Brigade for its prompt response, saying its quick action helped contain the fire.
“I received a call from a resident informing me that there was a fire at Jels Court. I immediately contacted the Harare City Fire Department, which quickly deployed firefighters to the scene, while our ConCERT team also responded to monitor the situation,” he said.
“The Harare Fire Department arrived swiftly and successfully managed to contain the blaze.”
Mr Jaricha said it was still too early to confirm whether there were any casualties, although the fire had caused extensive damage to several flats and property.
