Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Chaos and heartbreak gripped Glen View Area 8 this Sunday morning after a massive fire ripped through the home industry complex, leaving scores of informal traders counting losses worth thousands of dollars.
The blaze once again exposed the vulnerability of the popular furniture manufacturing hub, which has been destroyed by fire multiple times, including three incidents since 2018.
Thick smoke and flames swept rapidly across the tightly packed stalls, many of them made of wood, as desperate traders scrambled to save what they could.
Others watched helplessly as their products and material went up in smoke.
“We could not sleep. The fire moved too fast. We have lost goods worth thousands of dollars,” said Simbarashe Marunza, a trader who managed to rescue only a few items from his stall.
“We appeal to Government for help.
“It is hard to say what really started the fire. But what can we do? We have to believe that somehow we will rise again.”
Although the cause of the blaze remains unknown, some traders reported hearing a loud explosion just before the fire broke out.
“It is difficult to calculate the loss, but the value could be thousands of dollars,” said another affected trader, Lovemore Sevenzai.
The Glen View Area 8 complex is one of Harare’s busiest informal industrial sites, supporting hundreds of traders and their families.
The fire has reignited long-standing concerns over poor infrastructure, lack of fire safety mechanisms, and the need for sustainable solutions to protect informal sector entrepreneurs.
