A 57-year-old woman and her two grandchildren were on
Wednesday night burnt to death when their Morningside home in Bulawayo was
gutted by fire triggered by an electrical fault.
The fire that occurred at about 9PM, killed Prisca Mushore,
the mother of 2015 Miss Tourism Bulawayo pageant winner Nadia Gori, and her
grandchildren Stacey Mushore (13) and Brendon Moyo (9) who were burnt beyond
recognition.
Property worth millions of dollars was reduced to ashes. The
family’s spokesperson Mr Thabani Moyo said they were at a loss for words
following the tragic incident.
“None of us was here to witness what really transpired. We
received a phone call from one of our nephews based in Harare telling us that
there was fire in the house after being contacted by the police. We rushed here
and by the time we arrived, the roof had collapsed and my sister, my nephew and
my niece who lived in the house had been killed in the fire and property burnt
to ashes,” said Mr Moyo.
He said the family was devastated and wondered how the fire
broke out and prevented the three from escaping.
“This is a painful experience especially losing all the
family members who lived in the house with no one to help them. At least if one
of them survived, we would have known how the fire broke out. But as it stands
it’s a painful loss because there is no story to be told,” he said.
Mr Moyo said Bulawayo Fire Brigade promptly reacted but
could not save the trio. He said the two
minors were burnt beyond recognition while his sister suffered serious burns,
but was still recognisable.
Mr Moyo dismissed claims circulating on social media
yesterday that the fire was caused by a gas explosion.
“The Fire Brigade and the Zimbabwe Energy Regulation
Authority dismissed that the fire could have been caused by fuel because there
is no fuel that is kept here. But we are yet to get a report from Zesa to
consolidate the findings. However, the fire was not caused by gas. The gas
cylinder is still intact and it was empty. So, the gas explosion that is being
speculated is dismissed,” said Mr Moyo.
A relative said
bodies of the three victims were found in different parts of the house.
“The granny’s body which did not suffer serious burns was
found in the bathroom while the boy was in the corridor and the girl’s body was
found at the front door. Both minors were burnt beyond recognition. Police
retrieved their bodies this (yesterday) morning,” said the relative.
Neighbours said they were still shocked as to how the fire
spread so fast without anyone noticing. One of them said she watched helplessly
as the fire consumed the house.
“At first, I could hear their voices as they screamed for
help. Their voices kept fading until I
could not hear them anymore. I guess they had died,” said the neighbour who
declined to be named.
Bulawayo acting Chief Fire Officer Mr Linso Phiri said the
fire was caused by an electric fault. He said the inferno was compounded by
dust that had gathered in the house’s ceiling.
“Our preliminary investigations have concluded that the
fire was caused by an electric fault. We also believe that dust which had
gathered in the ceiling over a period of time caused the fire to quickly spread
across the house. The electrical wires were also naked as the house was not
tubed (cables not insulated), just like many of the houses that were built a
long time ago. This could have also compounded the fire,” said Mr Phiri.
Chronicle
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