By Kudakwashe Kutinyo

Residents of Madumbisa village in Hwange are living in fear of their lives after an underground fire erupted at Zimbali Coal Mine casting a dark cloud over the area.

Local firefighters waged a valiant battle against the raging coal fires that had engulfed the mine tunnels. The fire fighters did their best to contain and extinguish the raging fire which took long to control.

Speaking after the incident Ingagula Councillor Brian Chikumbo said authorities should be concerned about the lack of safety measures citing health risks and dangers that underground seam fires can cause to the local residents.

“Our fears are that as much as we are not aware of what is happening on the ground. We don’t know how much they have spread and assuming they are spreading very much some gases are being emitted from the plant giving respiratory challenges.

“This cuts down to the issue of communication. We do not know as yet if the affected areas are properly barricaded. Underground fires are a hazard to communities especially if they have spread to an extent that we can’t control,” added Cllr Chikumbo.

The incident at Zimbali coal mine is likely to exacerbate existing concerns about their threats to the environment and public health therefore contaminating water.

Underground coal fires are slow burning fires that occur in a coal deposit beneath the earth surface which are often triggered by human and natural activities.

However efforts to locate the Zimbali coal mine communications department for comment were in vain.

Amidst the ongoing fire season in Hwange, residents of Empumalanga’s DRC section demonstrated remarkable community spirit by coming together to extinguish a house fire, saving property from total destruction before the local firefighters could arrive.

New Ziana