A BULAWAYO family will have a bleak Christmas after a fire destroyed their house in Paddonhurst suburb yesterday.
The fire that caused damage running into millions of
dollars is suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault. Neighbours
told a Chronicle news crew that there was a loud explosion just before the
house burst into flames.
Ms Tendai Munofa (24) who was sleeping in the house woke up
to billowing smoke at around 9am. She said at first, she tried to ignore the
smell of something burning because she thought it was coming from a
neighbouring house.
As the smell grew stronger, she realised that it was coming
from her landlord’s bedroom which she tried to open but failed since it was
locked.
“thick smoke was coming from the landlord’s room. I tried
to open his door to no avail. I realised at that moment there were flames
coming from under the door. I started picking things from my room and throwing
them outside through the window,” said Ms Munofa.
She said she had to abandon her frantic efforts when she
saw the ceiling bursting into an orange ball of flames.
“I only managed to get a few things out and most of my
stuff including certificates got burnt in the house. When my landlord came it
was too late for us to put the fire out,” said Ms Munofa.
Neighbours, she said, helped her to call the Fire Brigade. A
Chronicle news crew observed the Fire Brigade team scrambling to put out the
inferno that was threatening to spread to the next property in the
semi-detached houses.
Six teams, each with high pressure pipes directed jets of
water at flames at different corners of the house.
Neighbours gathered around and watched in apparent horror
as the fire consumed the house. Some scurried to help push out two vehicles
that were parked in the yard. The well-coordinated fire team put the fire out
in about 30 minutes.
Mr Naison Haruzivishe, the owner of the house said he
received a call from Ms Munofa informing him that the house was on fire as he
was attending to personal business in the city centre.
He could not hold back his grief as he narrated his loss. “I
have lost all I had worked for. All my property is gone. It was worth about $5
million. I don’t know where I shall sleep,” he said.
A neighbour who spoke to Chronicle on condition of
anonymity said: “I heard a sound like a bomb coming from my neighbour’s house.
When I checked I discovered that the house was totally covered in smoke.”
Acting Chief Fire Officer for Bulawayo Mr Jabulani Ndlovu
said investigations into the cause of the fire were underway.
“We are still investigating but preliminary results point
to electrical faults. The value of the destroyed property is not yet known but
it would run into millions of dollars since the whole roof, ceiling, paint
work, inbuilt wardrobes would need replacement, said Mr Ndlovu.
“This was a bad Christmas eve for the Paddonhurst family
and we would like to warn the public to be vigilant concerning electrical
faults and engage competent electricians to attend to them. We request the
public to keep the emergency numbers- 993 and 994 or (2922) 71717-9- in their
cellphones because driving to the nearest station is time consuming and it
causes serious delays in our intervention,” added Mr Ndlovu.
Following the tragic incident, Ms Munofa appealed to
members of the public for assistance since all her clothes and food were
destroyed by the fire. Chronicle
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