Kutama College in Zvimba which has channelled prominent Zimbabweans including the late former president, Robert Mugabe caught fire on Monday morning.
The Herald reports that the fire started in the television room around 2 am.
The state-run publication further reports that two Form 3 learners at the school, Takudzwa Machuwe and Kapfumvute Mwamba, rescued 185 learners after their hostel caught fire.
The duo is said to have initially tried and failed to extinguish the fire before they quickly sought the support of others.
Another Form 3 learner was sent to the headmaster’s residence to alert him of the disaster at the school, while Takudzwa and Kapfumvute began the rescue mission.
In separate interviews with The Herald on Monday, Takudzwa and Kapfumvute said they evacuated all the Form 2s unhurt, but could not retrieve any of the learners’ belongings. Said Takudzwa:
I was awakened by some of the Form 2 students around 2am telling me of a fire that was in the television room.
We tried to put out the fire, but failed. One of the captains that we share the responsibility of taking care of these students with, rushed to alert the headmaster at his residence.
Kapfumvute said they had a hard time stopping learners from trying to get back into the hostel to collect their smartphones and laptops.
A fire tender from Norton Town Council responded to the call but did little to save the situation.
By yesterday afternoon, most of the students had been taken home by their parents and guardians to recover from the shock of almost losing lives.
The school was constructed in 1914 and is a stone’s throw away from the homestead of the late former president, Robert Mugabe.