A raging fire ravaged through a luxury vehicle garage in Mutare, leaving behind a smouldering graveyard of mangled metal and shattered dreams.
Twenty-seven
cars, including Mercedes-Benz vehicles, were completely destroyed in the blaze.
Witnesses
described scenes of chaos and disbelief as flames engulfed the high-end fleet,
sending plumes of black smoke into the sky, and drawing a crowd of stunned
onlookers.
The inferno
also consumed cars, engines, gearboxes and spare parts worth thousands of
dollars within minutes.
“It was like
watching thousands of dollars burn before our eyes. The heat was unbearable.
You could feel the pain in the air,” said a visibly shaken resident, Mr Nigel
Muchinguri.
The incident
also left a trail of trauma in its wake — not only for the owners, but for the
workers and community members who watched helplessly as the fire consumed
everything in its path.
Insurance
claims are expected to run into thousands, but for many, no pay-out can replace
the emotional toll.
Authorities are
still investigating the cause of the fire, although preliminary reports suggest
that a litter-clearing operation carried out by Mutare City Council employees
triggered the fire.
In an interview
at his rubble-filled garage on Wednesday morning, a distraught Mr Anesu Akim,
said 27 of the vehicles were
Mercedes-Benz —
with five of them being brand-new, including a G-Wagon, Jeep Cherokee,
Mercedes-Benz ML 350, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a Mercedes-Benz Big Badge
model.
These cars, he
said, had only just been dropped off by their owners for servicing.
“Some of the
cars had come from as far as Chiendambuya and Mutoko the previous day. Their
owners trusted me with their vehicles, and now I have to explain to them that
their cars were reduced to shells. This is something I am still struggling to
accept,” said a visibly shaken Mr Akim.
He said the
garage’s firefighting equipment was quickly overwhelmed by the intensity of the
flames.
“When the fire
started, I called for my colleague to bring the four fire extinguishers I had
just bought, but the fire was just too strong. I rushed to Mutare Fire Brigade,
but they took their time, and had it not been for a hydrant near the garage,
the damage could have been severe,” he said.
He said he is
left to deal with devastated clients who had entrusted him with their vehicles.
He admits he
has no immediate answers.
“I have to face
people who brought their cars to me for safe-keeping and maintenance. Some of
them had just bought these cars. I cannot calculate the total damage yet, but I
know the losses are massive. We are appealing for assistance as we try to
recover from this disaster,” he said.
His brother, Mr
Admire Akim, said the loss went beyond the cars.
“We did not
only lose people’s cars, but also all our stock of engines, gearboxes and other
car parts we were selling. Even if we wanted to compensate our clients, we were
left with nothing. We are appealing to anyone who can assist us because we have
lost everything,” he said.
Witnesses at
the scene said the fire was avoidable.
Ms Chipo Gondo,
a vendor operating nearby, said residents warned the two municipal employees
not to ignite a litter pile, but their warnings fell on deaf ears.
“The fire
quickly spread into dry grass, then to the garage fence, and within minutes,
the vehicles were up in smoke. We watched helplessly as the disaster unfolded.
This could have been avoided if the workers had listened,” she said.
In an
interview, one of the council workers, speaking on condition of anonymity,
admitted they had been tasked with clearing the area, but said the fire was lit
by his colleague, who fled from the scene when the flames spiralled out of
control.
“We were sent
to clear the area, but my colleague lit the fire. When it quickly spread out of
control, he panicked and fled, leaving me behind to face the chaos,” he said.
Mutare City
Council Town Clerk, Mr Blessing Chafesuka, expressed sympathy in a statement.
“It is with
great sincerity that I extend my profound sympathy towards the people affected
by the unfortunate fire incident that took place along Riverside Drive. As a
local authority, destruction of property and infrastructure by fire is an issue
that cannot be watered down as it directly affects the livelihood of our
stakeholders. Our Fire Brigade was swift in minimising the damage caused by the
fire. The matter will be dealt with in terms of appropriate legal procedures,”
he said.
However,
questions remain about the Fire Brigade’s response time, with Mr Akim, garage
workers and witnesses insisting that had fire tenders arrived earlier, more
cars could have been salvaged.
Weighing in on
the matter, legal experts said the aftermath could trigger lawsuits.
In an interview
on Wednesday, Mutare lawyer, Mr Justin Fusire of Mupindu Legal Practitioners,
said victims can sue under the doctrine of vicarious liability.
“This legal
doctrine makes an employer liable for the actions of an employee acting in the
course of employment. If it is established that the council worker who started
the fire was acting under council authority, both the garage owner and vehicle
owners can sue the council.
“If he acted on
his own, then he may be sued in his personal capacity. Once liability is
ascertained, they may sue for delictual damages, either through a class action
at the High Court or through separate claims at the magistrates’ court.
However, suing the garage owner for damages is a whole different matter as it
depends on what contractual agreements the car owners had with the garage,” he
said. Manica Post
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