The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
A VELD fire gutted part of Wattle Company’s premises in the Nyakamete Industrial Area of Mutare last weekend.
The company lost its fence and fencing poles on the north-western side of its Veneer Plant after the fire, which had started from outside the property, spread into the premises.
In an interview with Post Business, Wattle Company Operations Director, Mr Joseph Musemwa said the company incurred a day’s loss in production from the fire mopping exercise as their staff had to leave their duties to contain the fire.
“The total value of what was damaged by the fire will be established after the ongoing investigations. We will get back to you after the investigations.
“However, the fire spread into our property on Sunday at around 4pm,” he said.
Mr Musemwa said preliminary investigations indicate that two people who were smoking along the railway line near the company started the fire.
“Security guards around the plant detected the fire shortly after it had started and reported to the authorities who then dispatched internal fire fighters. We have our own fire tenders and we quickly dispatched our personnel to attend to the fire. The Mutare City Fire Brigade’s response was also instant and they teamed up with our personnel to stop the fire,” he said.
Mr Musemwa said the fire jumped the company’s fireguard and spread to their property.
When Post Business visited the company on Monday morning, workers were still trying to put out the fire that was blazing on heaps of saw dust.
Workers on heavy machines were creating a fireguard by dumping loads of soil between the sawdust dump and the rest of the property.
Other workers could be seen with hosepipes, dousing the fire.
