Zvobgo's hotel gutted by fire

Late veteran nationalist and national hero Eddison Mudadirwa Zvobgo may be turning in his grave after a fire gutted his Chevron Hotel early yesterday morning, destroying the kitchen and pantry.

Property worth thousands of dollars was reduced to ashes.

The fire, according to his son, Eddison Zvobgo Jnr, the managing director of Zvobgo Holdings - which owns a string of hotels around the country - could have been caused by an electrical fault.

"The fire started around 4am and we suspect it was caused by an electrical fault. Nobody was injured. It destroyed the kitchen and pantry, but was contained before it had spread to the rooms," he said. Zvobgo said he was yet to quantify in monetary terms the extent of the damage.

"We are still doing assessments," he said.

Yesterday morning, the hotel had not closed operations, but was sooty and had no power.

Workers said the fire brigade responded late, but was able to contain the fire before it had spread to other wings of the hotel.

Guests who were booked at the hotel said there was panic when the fire broke out in the wee hours and many left their rooms fearing it could engulf the whole hotel building.