A fire broke out early Sunday in the basement of the Harare Police Station, threatening key evidence for criminal proceedings in one of the rooms.
The fire burned many rooms in the Harare Central complex and was reported at 1 a.m.
According to a source, the responding firefighters from the Harare Fire Brigade arrived at the scene without water, leaving them unable to combat the flames effectively, ZimLive reports.
The absence of fire hydrants at the station forced the police to call for assistance from the Air Force of Zimbabwe, who promptly dispatched their firefighters with water tankers.
National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said:
“The ZRP reports an unfortunate incident where there was a fire starting from around midnight where some rooms at the Harare Central complex which houses several police sections including the Office of the Officer Commanding the Province, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and others was engulfed by flames.
“We’re now conducting investigations with a view of finding out what transpired. We’re still assessing the amount of damage which was caused by the fire. We’re also trying to check what was contained in some of the rooms which were burnt. We will issue a detailed statement in due course.”
The Harare Central Police Station had been operating on generator power since Thursday due to an electric fault.
Possible Criminal Motive: Fire Engulfs CID Stores’ Exhibits Room
The publication further reports that the exhibit room in the CID Stores is known to contain a wide range of recovered stolen items, including cash and gas tanks.
It is alleged that a substantial amount of cash, totalling US$39,000, was recently booked into the exhibit room following the arrest of a suspect.
