Africa-Press – Cape verde. Police forensic experts have been deployed from Harare to investigate a fire at Fairy Café in Bulawayo, which is being treated as a possible case of arson.
The blaze, discovered in the early hours of Wednesday morning, has left 55 employees without work as authorities seek to determine its exact cause. The Bulawayo Fire Brigade took more than an hour to bring the fire under control.
By the time it was extinguished, the inferno had caused extensive damage to the property. Nothing was salvaged from the main premises, although firefighters managed to save two fully stocked storerooms at the rear of the building. Said a police source:
“We are treating this property fire as arson, and that position will only change from conclusive investigation by a team of forensic experts who have already been deployed from Harare.”
An employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the alarm at the premises was triggered at 2.20 AM.
A response team from a private security company attended the scene but reported finding nothing out of the ordinary. Said the employee:
“After just over an hour following the alarm alert, those ladies who operate at night saw some smoke and flames coming out of the premises’ roof, sending them into panic mode.
“When we eventually arrived at the scene, our suspicions were that perhaps gas cylinders had exploded, but that was not the case.”
In a statement, management said preliminary observations suggest the blaze was not caused by an electrical or gas fault, as initially suspected.
However, they stressed that they would await the outcome of investigations before making any further comment.
The company added that the premises were fully insured with a leading insurer, but acknowledged that the incident had left both management and staff understandably devastated. Part of the statement reads:
“Earlier this morning (yesterday), Fairy Cafe Bulawayo was severely damaged by a fire, resulting in the loss of the premises and its contents.
“This is a heartbreaking moment for the Fairy family, our team and our valued customers who have supported the Bulawayo branch.
“However, our spirit remains strong, and we are already working on the path forward.”
Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer, Mhlangano Moyo, said investigations into the cause of the fire were ongoing and that no possibilities, including sabotage, had been ruled out.
For More News And Analysis About Cape verde Follow Africa-Press
