HARARE- Another mysterious fire Wednesday gutted Harare’s Glen View 8 home industry complex, destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
Among the items destroyed in the fire were lounge suites, wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, generators, chairs and beds.
The complex, which houses hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses, is plagued by mysterious fires almost every year.
Authorities have not been able to establish the cause of the fires.
Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police have since launched their investigations into the cause of the inferno amid conspiracy theories surrounding the recurrent incidents.
“We are currently investigating the cause of the fire, and we are aware of the various theories floating around on and off social media about what caused the fire.
“Some of these theories claim that these fires are intentionally started in order to claim compensation from insurance policies, others to avoid paying loan sharks, and still others attribute arson to cover up robberies.
“At this time, it would be premature for us to pre-empt any leads because we are currently conducting investigations to determine the cause of the fire,” Nyathi said.
The jinxed complex has had more than eight major fire incidents in the last six years.
Andrew Hundi, a trader operating in the complex, said the latest fire started between 9:30pm and 10pm on Wednesday.
Hundi was however lucky to have been closer to the scene, a situation that allowed him to save his property with help of two other co-workers.
“I live near the Glen View complex, and when I noticed the inferno through the window at home, I quickly alerted two of my co-workers who also live nearby.
“We rushed there and noticed the fire started near the complex’s main entrance, so we made our way to where our property was stored.
“With our hands, we were able to reallocate and save property worth between US$8 000 and US$9 000,” he said.
