Bulawayo fuel depot fire destroys a dozen vehicles, blamed on wiring

Fuel depot went up in Bulawayo, torched vehicles by the dozen, rattled suburbs, and left cops blaming shady wiring.

Inferno wipes out Goderich Avenue yard

• Bulawayo took a brutal fuel fire hit.
• The site sat along Goderich Avenue.
• Flames chewed through fuel-linked premises.
• Fire crews fought it for hours.

Vehicle losses stack up fast

• At least twelve vehicles were destroyed.
• Fuel tankers took the worst damage.
• A Toyota Hiace was reduced to scrap.
• The yard became a metal graveyard.

Fire spreads next door

• The blaze jumped into an adjacent property.
• Three trucks were lost there.
• A bus and two cars also burned.
• Damage widened beyond the original site.

Police assessment and cause

• Nomalanga Msebele confirmed no human injuries.
• An illegal power hookup is suspected.
• Investigations are active.
• The site remains under guard.

Animal casualty reported

• A German Shepherd was badly burned.
• The dog was found unable to move.
• It survived the initial fire.
• The scene shocked responders.

Fire chief details what went wrong

• Mhlangano Moyo pointed to fuel decanting.
• Vapours likely ignited from illegal wiring.
• An explosion happened during operations.
• Late reporting made containment harder.

The crowds made it worse

• Residents rushed in wearing pyjamas.
• Some blocked emergency access.
• Firefighters struggled to clear the space.
• Warnings about secondary blasts were ignored.

Impact on nearby suburbs

• Shockwaves hit Tshabalala, Nketa, and Bellevue.
• Residents felt ground tremors.
• Panic spread online.
• No homes were damaged.

Officials urge enforcement

• Tavengwe Zidya fielded school explosion rumors.
• Dumisani Nkomo flagged illegal wiring risks.
• Calls for tougher crackdowns followed.
• Fuel safety failures keep repeating.