KWEKWE — OK Zimbabwe has temporarily closed its Kwekwe branch after a fire which broke out late Tuesday night caused extensive damage to the shop’s electrical system, documents and stock worth thousands of dollars.
OK marketing and public relations manager Chipo Mashingaidze confirmed the incident, but said the cause of the fire was not yet known.
“I can confirm that a fire broke out at our Kwekwe branch and caused extensive damage to critical equipment and stock, but we are not yet sure as to the cause of the fire or the value of stock destroyed during the fire.
“We have a team which is assessing the damage and investigating the cause of the fire,” she said. Sources told NewsDay that the fire broke out at around 9pm as staff was about to knock off and a quick response by both Kwekwe fire brigade and workers saved the shop from being totally consumed by the blaze.
By Wednesday the outlet was still closed as workers spent the day removing debris and taking stock of damaged goods. A fireman who spoke on condition of anonymity said the fire could have been caused by an electrical fault in the shop’s coldrooms.
“There are indications that the fire was started by an electrical fault. Investigations are still ongoing, but so far there is no reason to suspect foul play,” said the firefighter.
