NRZ Shares Details Of The Raging Fire That Destroyed 15 Passenger Coaches At Its Workshop In Bulawayo

The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) shared details of the suspected veld fire that destroyed 15 decommissioned passenger coaches at its mechanical workshop in Bulawayo on Monday.

The fire, which broke out around 1 p.m., quickly spread across the facility, consuming the parked coaches.

Raging Fire Destroys 15 Passenger Coaches At NRZ Workshop In Bulawayo

The NRZ confirmed the incident:

“The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) informs the nation of a fire outbreak at the company’s mechanical workshops in Bulawayo. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported.

“Investigations to determine the cause of the fire are already underway and details will be shared in due course. Fifteen (15) decommissioned coaches which were awaiting disposal as scrap were damaged.”

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The Fire Brigade’s Effort To Douse The Fierce Flames

NRZ Bulawayo Workshop Fire — *NRZ Shares Details Of The Raging Fire That Destroyed 15 Passenger Coaches At Its Workshop In Bulawayo [Image: The Chronicle]*

The Chronicle reported that firefighters from the Bulawayo Fire Brigade battled the raging blaze for over four hours, deploying six fire trucks to control the flames. They had to rely on water from the NRZ’s borehole system and support from council water bowsers to extinguish the fire.

Bulawayo Fire Brigade’s acting chief fire officer, Mhlangano Moyo, narrated:

“We had to bring water bowsers for more water to douse the fire, which preliminary investigations indicate could have been a veld fire that quickly spread and torched the passenger coaches.

“When we got to the scene of the fire at the NRZ Mechanical Workshop, we found out that the fire had spread in all directions and several coaches were already alight. We managed to contain the fire, and the team will continue to monitor the situation on the ground. Investigations will continue.”

NRZ public relations manager Andrew Kunambura said the body had initiated the process of disposing of the decommissioned coaches as scrap metal when the fire broke out.

He added that investigators suspect a discarded cigarette stub may have started the fire from a passerby. Authorities are yet to finalise the cause of the fire.

As the Bulawayo Fire Brigade put out the fire, NRZ workers moved nearby operational locomotives to safety to prevent further damage to critical assets.

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