A fire that broke out on the 5th floor of the 24-storey National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) Building in Bulawayo at around 4pm yesterday resulted in the evacuation of scores of people while one woman was rushed to hospital after inhaling smoke.
Business in the CBD was briefy brought to a standstill as fire engines sped through the city with stunned members of the public literally cuddling the Kodac moments with their mobile phones by recording video footages and taking photos.
In the ensuing drama, security officers at the ‘burning premise’ were alerting tenants and office occupants to immediately vacate the building for the sake of their personal safety.
An unnamed source who spoke to state media said there was an explosion in one of the Lupane State University (LSU) classrooms housed at the NRZ Building which is the tallest in the city, resulting in students stampeding for exit.
right in time… Members of the Fire Brigade discuss with staffers from LSU
According to a preliminary report, the fire which only destroyed two laptops, Z$140 and 20 South African Rands with a combined value of US$2000, could have been as a result of an electrical fault.
The damaged laptops and cellphones were said to have been connected to an electrical adaptor which was tapping power from a power wall outlet which was found at an “on” position.
“There was widespread panic. I’m not sure if someone called the Fire Brigade or they were alerted by the fire alarm. It was scary and everything happened so fast,” a staffer with LSU was quoted as saying.
LSU has its offices and classrooms housed at the imposing structure which also accomodates NRZ offices, banks and shops. Reports say stampeding LSU students, who resumed their studies recently, scurried for cover, abandoning lectures.
Thobekani Mkhwananzi, a female tenant described the rush as a ‘scary moment’.
“We were shocked when guards told us to vacate the building because there was fire. The message was just close and go out. It was a scary moment and fire alarms added to the confusion and panic,” Mkhwananzi said.
While LSU marketing and communications director Zwelithini Dlamini said he was yet to get details on the matter as he was in Lupane, Acting Bulawayo chief fire officer Linos Phiri said ‘it was a small fire and when we got there the fire had already been put out’.
The building has an infamous record of tragedies with the recent one being the 2015 case of a technician who perished together with a city woman he wanted to rescue from a jammed elevator.
state media
Additional Reporting: Zwnews
