Hungwe House inferno. . . property worth thousands destroyed

Mathew Masinge
PROPERTY worth thousands of dollars was destroyed after fire broke out in a basement factory at Hungwe House, along Jason Moyo Avenue, yesterday.

Further damage was prevented by the swift response of fire fighters, who said the fire was caused by an electrical fault.

The fire fighters’ response time was three minutes. In an interview with H-Metro, Harare Fire Brigade Central Fire Station officer, Evans Jena, said they were able to contain the fire as quickly as possible.

“The cause of the fire was an electrical fault and the owners of the basement reported it on time and we responded swiftly.

“We were able to contain the fire without any challenges despite the room being in the basement, which is usually not ventilated,” said Jena.

Factory owner, Rukudzo Sarupinda, could not come to terms with her losses.

“I wasn’t in the factory when the fire broke out and all my employees are not aware how the fault developed.

“I have lost sewing machines and textiles worth thousands of dollars and I don’t know whether I will recover from this loss,” said Sarupinda.

Other occupants of the building also had a torrid time clearing their wares, fearing a major disaster.