Online Reporter
Remember Deketeke and Lynnet Khaka
AT least 70 000 hectares of land have been destroyed by veld fires since the beginning of the fire restriction season on July 31, one of which yesterday swept through an open parking space near the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) Harare complex, torching more than 20 tyres.
The NRZ fire, which witnesses said began as a grass blaze, quickly spread to a pile of tyres dumped near a bushy area, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky and visible from several kilometres away.
When The Herald arrived at the scene, firefighters and residents were battling to contain the flames, which had reduced the tyres to heaps of twisted steel wires and smouldering soil.
One of the witnesses, Mr Paul Mabungu, said the fire could have been started by people living near Mukuvisi River.
“I saw the fire while I was on Seke Road and rushed to check if it had not affected our storeroom. My friends and I tried to put it out using a knapsack sprayer, but it was in vain. That is when the tyres caught fire,” he said.
“The fire brigade arrived soon after and it took them nearly an hour to extinguish the blaze. They had to separate the tyres to put it out completely.”
Mr Mabungu added that the tyres had been dumped at the site about three weeks ago by an unidentified truck and had remained unattended.
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) yesterday confirmed that the incident was part of a wider surge in veld fire cases across the country.
EMA spokesperson Ms Amkela Sidange said 216 veld fires have been recorded so far this season, compared to just 47 during the same period last year.
“The 2025 fire restriction period started on July 31 and will run until October 31. Since the start of the season, a total of 216 veld fire incidents have been recorded, destroying over 70 000 hectares of land,” she said.
In 2024, veld fires had burnt 43 843 hectares by this stage of the season, while 54 971 hectares were lost during the same period in 2023.
