74-year-old
Gogo Petronella Maliselo watched helplessly as fire destroyed her family home
of 42 years, leaving nothing but memories.
A widow, who
lives with her daughter and
three-year-old grandson, Gogo Maliselo recounts how
the raging fire, which started from a tenant’s room, engulfed the house and
burnt the roofing sheets, leaving just the wall behind.
“I was outside when I noticed smoke in the air around 8am in the morning and I thought maybe my neighbours were burning trash. One of our neighbours then rushed inside the gate screaming that the roof was on fire. I quickly dashed in the house and switched off the electric socket. The fire was coming from my tenant’s room so I unlocked the door, that’s when the flame spread across the house. I only came out holding my phone, national ID and my NSSA card. We managed to get hold of the Fire Brigade, but when they finally came, everything was destroyed, they only managed to contain the fire. We literally have nothing left,” said Gogo Maliselo.
The incident
has also left the neighbourhood devastated.
“We only thank
God for preserving lives, but the incident has left us baffled. After the
electricity was disconnected and the guys from ZESA pronounced the yard safe,
fire started again inside the cottage and we all rushed inside to remove
property, the fire brigade also came back and managed to contain the cottage
fire,” said a neighbour, Mrs Agnes Muringai.
“This is a sad
situation, she is a humble woman and we go to the same church. We hope that she
receives help fast since we are in the rainy season,” another neighbour, Mr
Paget Tsekwende said.
No one was
injured and investigations to determine the cause of the fire are underway. ZBC
