CHIPINGE-(MaraviPost)-Six school girls have died after a fire swept through Pferedzai Homestead in Bamhamire Village, Chipinge, during the night.
The village falls under Chief Mutema, in the Musani area, Ward 4, Chipinge District, Manicaland Province.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed the tragedy and said they are investigating the circumstances that led to the fire.
“The ZRP is investigating the circumstances which led to the death of six school girls at Pferedzai Homestead, Bamhamire Village, Chief Mutema, Chipinge after a fire incident during the night. More details will follow on 09/11/26,” said ZRP in a statement posted on its verified social handle.
The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed by police.
The deaths have plunged Bamhamire Village into mourning. The loss of six schoolchildren in a single incident has shocked the community in Chipinge and beyond. The names of the girls had not been officially released at the time of reporting, and police said investigations were continuing.
The Chipinge incident comes against a background of repeated deadly fires in Zimbabwe, in homes, schools and in the veld.
Fire is a recurring national problem. In rural areas and high-density suburbs, many households use a combination of energy sources for cooking, heating and lighting. These include firewood, charcoal, paraffin, gas, candles and electricity. The use of several sources in one household increases the risk of fire, especially at night when occupants are asleep and cannot respond quickly.
Authorities have in the past cited several common sources of domestic fires.
One is gas. Gas is widely used for cooking and heating in both urban and rural homes. Fires and explosions have been linked to leaking gas tanks, faulty regulators, damaged pipes, gas tanks stored inside rooms, and gas tanks kept close to open flames or heat sources. When gas leaks in a closed room, it can build up and ignite from a small flame or spark.
A second source is candles and paraffin lamps. These are often used during power cuts. Fires have been linked to candles left burning overnight, candles placed near curtains, bedding, paper or wooden furniture, and paraffin lamps knocked over in bedrooms. Once bedding or curtains catch fire, the blaze spreads quickly through small rooms.
A third source is faulty electrical wiring. Electrical faults have been cited in house fires and school dormitory fires. Old wiring, overloaded sockets, illegal connections, and appliances left charging overnight have been identified as risks. In some cases, fires have started from solar batteries and chargers left unattended.
A fourth source is braziers, known as mbaura or imbaula. Braziers are used for cooking and for warming rooms in winter. Fires and deaths have been linked to braziers taken into closed bedrooms to keep warm overnight. In addition to fire, braziers in unventilated rooms produce carbon monoxide, a colourless and odourless gas that can kill people in their sleep.
A fifth source is the storage of flammable materials inside homes. Police and fire officials have warned against keeping petrol, paraffin, gas and other flammable substances inside bedrooms and living rooms. Storage of such materials near kitchens and sleeping areas has been cited as a factor that makes fires more severe and harder to control.
Schools have also recorded serious fire incidents. In one incident in Goromonzi, Mashonaland East, fire destroyed two dormitories at a high school and left 61 pupils without belongings. The pupils were at evening study when the fire broke out. The cause was not confirmed at the time, but electrical faults have been cited in similar school fires across the country.
In another incident in the Midlands, a five-year-old boy recently died after a fire destroyed the room he was sleeping in. The fire was linked to a candle left burning in the room.
In Zvishavane, five people, including two schoolchildren, died in their sleep after a brazier was taken into a poorly ventilated bedroom. The deaths were linked to carbon monoxide from the burning charcoal.
In Harare, a family of five died after a gas tank explosion at their house in the Eyestone area. In Bulawayo, a house was destroyed after gas cylinders exploded during a fire linked to a battery that was charging in a room.
Beyond homes and schools, Zimbabwe also faces veld fires every year. The fire restriction period runs from 31 July to 30 November.
During the 2026 restriction period, the Environmental Management Agency recorded 2,301 fire incidents which burnt 754,017 hectares as at 30 October 2026.
That was a 22 percent reduction in incidents and area burnt compared to the same period in 2025, when 2,950 incidents burnt 967,283 hectares.
Despite the reduction in incidents, fire-related deaths increased.
The number of deaths doubled from three in 2025 to six in 2026 during the same period. Mashonaland West, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South were recorded as the three most affected provinces, in that order. A1 and A2 resettlement areas accounted for the largest proportion of land burnt.
Veld fires are often linked to careless burning of grass, burning of fields to clear land, discarded cigarette butts, unattended fires at outdoor gatherings, and fires left burning during land preparation. In Bulawayo, the city fire service attended 126 fire incidents in July 2026 alone, 110 of which were veld fires.
The pattern in the country is that many fires are preventable. Authorities have consistently urged members of the public not to leave fires unattended, not to keep flammable substances in bedrooms, not to use braziers in closed rooms, and not to leave candles burning overnight.
In Chipinge, police are continuing investigations. More details are expected today.
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