Fire Damages Flats At Avondale Complex

Property worth thousands of dollars was destroyed after a fire broke out at Jels Court flats in Avondale, Harare, on Tuesday, 30 June.

The Harare City Fire Brigade responded quickly and managed to contain the blaze before it spread to other parts of the residential complex.

Police have confirmed the incident and say investigations are underway. No injuries or deaths were recorded.

The fire is suspected to have been caused by fuel. Three containers were found in one of the apartments.

In a statement, the City of Harare confirmed that fuel containers were recovered from the apartment where the fire started.

“While investigations are continuing, this is a cause for concern, and we urge residents to make sure that they do not keep dangerous and highly flammable substances like fuel in their residences,” reads the statement.

“We have also noted from previous fire incidents that gas stoves also cause a lot of home fires and must, therefore, be kept properly secured.”

Webster Jaricha, founder of the Convergence Community Emergency Response Team (ConCERT), has praised the Harare City Fire Brigade for its prompt response, saying the quick action helped contain the fire.

“I received a call from a resident informing me that there was a fire at Jels Court,” said Jaricha.

“I immediately contacted the Harare City Fire Department, which quickly deployed firefighters to the scene, while our ConCERT team also responded to monitor the situation.”

“The Harare Fire Department arrived swiftly and successfully managed to contain the blaze.”

While the fire caused extensive damage to several flats and property, Jaricha said it was still too early to confirm whether there were any casualties.

More: The Herald