By Staff Reporter
A cruel fire broke out at Mbare Musika market, Harare, Tuesday night destroying property and sources of livelihoods.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Community-based emergency assistance group mobilised about 90,000 litres of water to assist the Fire Brigade contain the inferno. Police were at the scene to help clear the crowds which were now looting from the informal market hub.
In an update shared around 1 am Wednesday, the Harare City Council said the fire had been contained.
“The fire at Mbare Musika is now under control only after the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) cleared the huge crowd that had gathered. Fire Tenders and water bowsers provided by the Emergency Help Group managed to gain access to the fire. Well done to the City of Harare Fire Team once again for a great job and a big thank you to ZRP and the Emergency Help Group,” the update read.
The scene was marked by shattered glass and crumbling structures, accompanied by sounds of distress and calls for assistance.
The fire reduced shacks to ashes, displacing residents and leaving families homeless, their livelihoods consumed by the flames.
Taurai Nendoro, a witness, told the media that the fire began around 9 PM, but the cause remains unknown.
He said:
We really don’t know what caused the fire, but I have never seen anything like this in Mbare for the past 30 years I have been living here.
We only heard the fire was caused by candlelight, people use candles in this area as we usually don’t have electricity from 6 pm to 6 am.
This area is also overcrowded and any incident of fire can easily spread. There are lots of combustible materials in these dwellings here and that makes this place susceptible to fire outbreaks.
Another Mbare resident Vimbai Dandara said the damage to property and displacement of people was huge.
It’s a disaster. I don’t even know where I will go tonight; my family has lost everything. We have lost our dwelling, all the goods that we buy and sell to make a living and our belongings.
Charles Gomo, another witness, said the impact of the fire was severe, highlighting the destruction of property and loss of livelihoods, as well as the trauma and psychological distress faced by those affected. “This is shocking,” he remarked.
The fire brigade, along with other hands-on services from the Harare City Council, responded to the scene as firefighters worked to control the blaze.
Three fire tenders were deployed, but they faced challenges due to water shortages, a large crowd obstructing movement, and difficulties manoeuvring within the densely populated area.
Harare City Council spokesperson Stanley Gama, who was at the scene, said:
This is a critical situation and as you can see the fire brigade is doing all it can to douse the fire. They were here at the earliest time possible and have been battling the blaze for hours.
However, the fire tenders have no capacity to carry adequate water to overcome this blaze immediately.
They have to keep on going back and forth to fetch water, so it will take time to put the situation under control.
There is also the challenge of crowds and shanty structures here which make it difficult to manoeuvre.
Police need to help to control crowds and people’s movements to allow firefighters to do their work unimpeded.
Investigations into the fire’s cause will follow after the blaze has been extinguished, and people and goods rescued.
We are doing all we can to quickly ensure this emergency is under control and people are helped.
