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EDITOR — I am seriously concerned about the number of fires that are being reported around the country.

In as much as we know that during this season, the Environmental Management Agency gives warnings about veld fires through the fire hazard index, what is worrying is that the fires reported are destroying lots of infrastructure.

This means that we are losing thousands of dollars of goods and services through these fires.

A few examples suffice. In April, a double storey hostel at Plumtree High School was gutted by fire.

In July, Harare’s Raylton Sports Club was also gutted by fire and the top floor and roof of the double storey building was extensively damaged and nothing was retrieved.

In June, another fire razed the Glen View furniture complex in Harare. This was not the first fire.

At the weekend, one of the well-known informal markets Siyaso at Mbare Musika was also razed down by fire.

Another company in the Workington industrial sites in Harare was on Sunday gutted by a fire that threatened to burn factories in the vicinity. But, thanks to the quick action by factory owners nearby who called the Fire Brigade.

All these fires have destroyed not just the infrastructure, but they have also destroyed livelihoods of thousands of families.

My concern is that the fires are a result of a cocktail of causes: from veld fires to those caused by electrical faults.

This is against a background that most of our buildings are very old, so too the supporting utilities. Due to the increase in fires, the damage caused and the lost livelihoods, we request Government and relevant stakeholders to embark on an awareness campaign on fire prevention.

As Government starts the rebuilding process, we cannot afford to lose what we already have. It is also important for property owners to ensure that they insure their properties.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Nomagugu M’simang, Harare