Zimpapers Logo

Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]

A discarded lit material, possibly a cigarette stub may have sparked the devastating fire that destroyed 51 decommissioned passenger coaches at the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) Bulawayo mechanical workshop on Monday, a report by the Bulawayo Fire Brigade suggests.

The decommissioned passenger coaches were reduced to shells in a raging inferno that took the Bulawayo Fire Brigade several hours to contain. Fortunately, no deaths or injuries were recorded.

Six fire tenders were dispatched to tackle the blaze. When they ran out of water, firefighters resorted to connecting to the NRZ borehole system for more water, while water bowsers from the Bulawayo City Council were also summoned to assist in the fight against the raging inferno.

NRZ is yet to quantify the financial losses suffered by the parastatal, according to its public relations manager, Mr Andrew Kunambura.

The Bulawayo Fire Brigade identified several areas that need improvement to prevent such a catastrophe in the future.

“We have carried out an investigation of the NRZ fire, and our preliminary findings indicate that a carelessly discarded lit material ignited a grass fire right in the middle of the passenger coaches.

“The lit material could have been discarded by an apprentice or students at the mechanical workshop, as the area is well guarded but has poor housekeeping.

“The grass fire later torched all railway tracks, thus hindering smooth operations by our firefighting team,” acting chief officer Mr Mhlangano Moyo told the Chronicle.

He made several recommendations to the NRZ to prevent a repeat of the blaze that could have destroyed locomotives, more passenger coaches, and property at the mechanical workshop.

“The Bulawayo Fire Brigade urges the NRZ to decongest that place and to consider disposing of those wagons and decommissioned passenger coaches.

There is a need to practice good housekeeping at the mechanical workshop,” said Mr Moyo.

When the six fire tenders deployed to contain the blaze ran out of water, firefighters improvised by connecting to the NRZ borehole system and summoning water bowsers from the council to provide more water.

“This situation could have been avoided had the water hydrants in the area been operational, added Mr Moyo.

“The area does not have operational hydrants, which affected the smooth flow of operations. Companies like NRZ should revive their firefighting teams for quick response in reporting fires and liaise with the Fire Brigade in raising the alarm as soon as possible.

“For example, the fire started at around 1300 hours but was reported to the Fire Brigade at 1402 hours, which is an hour later.

“By the time the Fire Brigade arrived at the scene, the fire had covered a lot of ground, and firefighting efforts were hampered by inaccessibility to the area.”

He also urged the NRZ to install firefighting equipment such as sprinklers.

“A drencher system around the workshop to protect valuable equipment, infrastructure, and locomotives must be constructed, as the company has a borehole that could be utilised for that purpose.”

A drencher system, also known as a wall-wetting sprinkler system, is a type of automatic fire sprinkler system designed and installed to provide protection to a building exposed to an external fire.

“There is also a need for NRZ to clear beneath locomotives to avoid the build-up of fuels.

“Advice or assistance can be provided, just like what was done to their properties in Harare when they engaged the Fire Brigade for risk assessment and training,” he added.

NRZ spokesman Mr Kunambura said the process to dispose of the decommissioned passenger coaches by harvesting scrap metal had begun before the mechanical workshop was razed by the fire.