A bolt of lightning struck a section of the upmarket Manna Resort in Harare on Tuesday afternoon, reducing property worth millions of dollars to ashes.
Two buildings were also destroyed in the fire which took firefighters more than an hour to extinguish.
The Panzvimbo/Sangano section, which houses a kitchen and accommodation was reduced to a shell by the fire. Part of the section had been opened just three months ago.
Fortunately, none of the workers on duty were injured.
ZRP national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the incident. He said:
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has received a report of a fire at Manna Resort located in Glen Lorne.
Details of the damage will be released in due course.
One of the workers who spoke to H-Metro but is not authorised to speak to the press said:
I am not allowed to speak to the Press, but the lightning was so terrifying.
Kana mazogara mheni yakaipa. Munguva pfupi Panzvimbo yose yanga yasanganiswa nemoto tikatiza tichidedera. (A lightning strike is terrifying. In a very short space of time, the whole area had caught fire. We ran away trembling with fear.
We looked in disbelief as the fire burnt the thatched roofs.
Nothing could be recovered as we were all shocked and scared.
The resort’s general manager said his team was yet to calculate the value of the loss they suffered.