admin
The fire is suspected to have been started by poachers near the Bulawayo City Council owned Aisleby Farm on Sunday night.
It consumed grazing land over a distance of more than 10 kilometres before strong winds blew it across the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road yesterday morning.
Parts of the road were rendered impassable in the afternoon by searing heat and thick smoke from the fire.
Three fire tenders were not enough to contain the raging inferno and bowsers had to be sent to refill them after they ran out of water in the afternoon.
A cashier at the nature reserve, Ms Precautious Ndlovu, said rangers patrolling the game sanctuary’s perimeter fence reported that the fire had leapt into the nature reserve at about 8.45am.
“When we came to work in the morning, we saw clouds of smoke across the road. Later the rangers told us that the fire had reached our premises,” said Ms Ndlovu.
By yesterday afternoon, the fire had destroyed three out of the eight picnic sites at the reserve and the fire brigade crew was fighting a seemingly losing battle against it.
Ms Ndlovu said animals like zebras, kudus and giraffes that were kept at the nature reserve fled to the eastern side to escape the fire.
Mr Moses Muthali, a member of the City of Kings Business Ventures that runs Umguza Nature Reserve on behalf of the Bulawayo City Council, said more than half of the 440 hectare reserve had been ravaged by the fire.
“This is bad for business because we often have campers here, who like the natural ambience with trees and grass. Conservationists, bird watchers and fishermen flock to the place because it is a model of conservation. The fire will reduce its appeal as it has left behind charred vegetation,” said Mr Muthali.
A Chronicle newscrew spotted billowing soot-stained smoke from the city centre about 18 kilometres away.
When the newscrew got to the scene, unbearable heat was keeping fire-fighters at bay.
Gusts of wind blew the fire over tree tops, putting the fire-fighters’ lives at risk as the fire threatened to surround and engulf them.
Animals were escaping from the nature reserve through a vandalised hole in the fence, to nearby farms at Norwood.
Some farmers were already burning grass at the edge of their properties to create a fire-break as they anticipated that the fire would soon reach them.
Contacted for comment, Ingwebu Breweries spokesperson Mr Themba Sibanda said the fire started outside Aisleby Farm and had not affected it. Ingwebu runs the farm on behalf of the Bulawayo City Council.
A comment could not be obtained from the fire brigade as Bulawayo’s chief fire officer, Mr Richard Peterson, could not be reached on his mobile phone.
However, by 5pm, the fire brigade were still battling the fire.
On Friday, the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Francis Nhema, said the country’s economic turnaround strategy was under threat from veld fires, which destroyed natural resources that the strategy was based on.
He said five people have died and about 350 000 hectares of land destroyed by veld fires throughout the country this year.
Minister Nhema said 209 000 hectares had been destroyed during the same period last year.
Online Reporter