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Bulawayo Bureau

Timely response by the Bulawayo Fire and Ambulance Services department averted a potential explosion after an inferno engulfed a Monarch Plastics recycling plant which also houses a 35 000 litre diesel container on Sunday night.

The container had 10 000 litres of diesel and if it was not for the swift action of the fire fighters, an explosion covering close to a 100 metre radius could have occurred.

The fire that broke out at the factory located at Thorngrove Industrial site at about 11PM, was reportedly caused by a machine that was left on following a power outage the previous day.

The value of damaged property could not be ascertained, although officials said the amount is substantial. During a visit to the factory, fire fighters and the company’s management were still conducting investigations into the cause of the blaze. Monarch Steel managing director Mr Fritzpatrick Mawovera said it was too early to comment about the incident. He expressed gratitude to the fire fighters for preventing an extensive disaster.

Bulawayo acting chief fire officer Mr Linos Phiri said negligence by the company’s employees could have caused the fire. He said it was then that they decided to alert the fire brigade. Mr Phiri urged members of the public not to leave electrical gadgets on, especially when there is load shedding.