Fire guts Mpilo Hospital office

Another fire gutted an office at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, less than two months after an inferno destroyed property at the referral hospital.

The latest fire incident, which was caused by faulty electricity cables, damaged property worth approximately $35 million.

Bulawayo City Council acting chief fire officer Linos Phiri confirmed the incident to Southern Eye yesterday.

"A four-way extension adapter which was used to connect electrical gadgets was also burnt by fire. Naked burnt electric wires were still connected to the socket which was severely burnt by fire," Phiri said.

"The fire was concentrated in one room where there was a heap of stationery. It seemed the fire had been burning for some time before being discovered."

There are concerns over recurrent fire outbreaks at Mpilo.

In April, a fire broke out at the hospital damaging property in the laundry room and the National University of Science and Technology Faculty of Medicine office.

In 2021, a raging fire almost razed to the ground staff quarters and property worth millions of dollars was destroyed.

Mpilo is a 1 000-bed hospital which serves the Bulawayo metropolitan province, Matebeleland North and South, Midlands and Masvingo provinces.