Mashonaland West Bureau
A veld fire recently swept across 10 small-scale commercial farms in Chitomborwizi, Makonde District, leaving a trail of destruction.

Farmers lost property worth thousands of dollars.

The fire outbreak took place on August 15 this year during a windy day resulting in the destruction of property, domestic and wild animals.

According to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), farmers in the area had inadequate pre-suppression measures against veld fires including fire guards, fire management communication systems and fire-fighting equipment.

EMA provincial education and publicity head Mr Munyaradzi Nhariswa said initial observation from the agency discovered that most farmers in the area did not have adequate and standard fire guards around their farms.

“The cause of the fire is still unknown but a local farmer suspects it was started by hunters who wanted to clear the area for purposes of hunting,” he said.

Mr Nhariswa said the fire destroyed an estimated 900 hectares of land.

“The extent of damage from the veld fire ranges from farm to farm including the forest, plantations, property and livestock within the Chitomborwizi community. The area is a small scale commercial farming area which is sparsely populated and has very few fire-fighters,” he said.

He said the majority of the farms are underutilised leaving large tracts of forest with very tall grasses.

“At Gombingo Farm, a total of 10 buildings including seven huts and two granaries were destroyed by the fire. The damaged goods included five tonnes of maize, one tonne of groundnuts, three bags of roundnuts, three bicycles, cooking utensils including pots, buckets and plates,” he said.

Mr Nhariswa said the fire also destroyed property including two huts leading to a loss of a bed, 10 bags of fertiliser, 17 bags of maize, clothing, cooking utensils and some cash at Chirinda Farm.

“The fire also destroyed large tracts of gum tree plantations and grazing lands. Other affected farms include Mupambwa Farm where a sheep was burnt while gumtree and orchard plantations were destroyed at Chigubhu and Nyamahwena Farms,” he said.

Mr Nhariswa said farmers should desist from starting fires outside residential and commercial premises.