Peter Tanyanyiwa
A disaster almost happened recently in Ward 41 Bluff Hill area, when a squatter who stays at a vacant piece of land along Lorraine Drive almost burned down a resident’s house to the ground.
The squatter is said to have been burning the long grass that is on the piece of land adjacent to the house as the individual survives on recycling materials.
The fire was later contained before everything was reduced to ashes.
In an interview, Ward 41 Councillor Kudzai Kadzombe she urged residents to clear out all the long grass and also put fire guards on their properties.
“We have a house in Bluff Hill along Lorraine drive which almost got burned to the ground, the fire was started by an illegal settler who is staying adjacent to the house on a vacant piece of land.
“This settler makes a living out of recycling materials and it’s unfortunate because of the grass and other materials in between this house caught fire and was almost reduced down to ashes,” she said.
“In this light I want to urge residents to clear their surroundings, let’s cut all the grass around our yards we are now getting in the summer season which is a dry season and a lot of fires usually breakout during this period.
“I know Marlborough has been known for yards with a lot of grass, maize fields that are not properly cleared out. This should be a thing of the past after this incident, it has become increasingly dangerous to be around grassy environments.
“Let’s also put fire guards on our properties so we avoid such damage to property,” said Cllr Kadzombe.
She added that she knows that very few people in Zimbabwe have their properties insured, so she cautioned all residents to be safe and clean up their yards and also put fire guards.