Billions lost after fire hits tyre firm
What you need to know:
The company’s administrative director, Mr Jamal Bayser, told journalists that among the goods lost were brand new tyres, which were imported just a few days ago.
Dar es Salaam. Property worth billions of shillings went up in smoke after a fire razed a warehouse belonging to trailer manufacturers Superdoll in the city on Friday.
The company’s administrative director, Mr Jamal Bayser, told journalists that among the goods lost were brand new tyres, which were imported just a few days ago.
Efforts to put out the fire did not yield much, and the full extent of the damage could not be ascertained by the time we went to press. “We tried to collaborate with the City Council and the airport Fire and Rescue Brigade soon after the fire erupted but the exercise turned out to be complicated,” he said.
A blame game ensued as authorities and company tried to come to terms with the loss yesterday.
Reports from the scene suggested that water shortages significantly contributed to delays by the rescue teams to put out the fire.
But the Fire and Rescue Brigade commander for Temeke District, Mr Loshipay Laizer, blamed company owners for delaying with information saying it complicated the exercise.
“They started fighting the inferno by themselves until they realised it was out of control,” he said. “And the lack of a water well on the company premises worsened the situation because vehicles had to go somewhere else to fetch water.”
Regional Police Commander Emmanuel Lukala said investigations would begin immediately to determine the source of the fire.
“They succeeded in salvaging some goods, mostly tyres. But as the fire grew, it became difficult for Good Samaritans, workers and the Fire and Rescue brigades to continue working,” the RPC said in a telephone interview.
The warehouse on Nyerere Road, close to Quality Centre, is mainly reserved for storing tyres. But the rescue team also had to fight to stop the fire from destroying trailers and fuel tanks.
Mr Nato Leonard, who witnessed the incident, said the fire caught them by surprise because it was normal for the company to burn wastes, but on Sundays.
According to him, it was only after the fire had started spreading that people realised something was wrong. “Unfortunately, it took long for fire fighters to arrive at the scene, inspite of the fact that the company is located close to main road,” he said.
Most people who spoke to this paper also blamed fire and rescue brigades for arriving late.
