‘Inferno’ at illegal ethanol storage facility severely injures eight in Zimbabwe

An illegal ethanol warehouse in Harare, Zimbabwe, went up in flames on Sunday afternoon, leaving eight people, including three firemen, critically injured.

The firemen are currently being treated in a hospital in Harare, but officials say they’re considering flying them to South Africa to receive special treatment due to the severity of their injuries.

Michael Chideme, the Harare city council director of communications, said the company in whose storage facility the incident occurred was holding 30,000 litres of ethanol without a license.

“A fire broke out during decanting. When the fire officers entered the facility, there was an explosion leading to a huge fire,” Chideme told NewZimbabwe.com news site.

“They managed to walk out of the inferno but sustained serious injuries,” he added.

Biofuels International was unable to confirm the status of the other five injured or whether the company would face prosecution.