PROPERTY worth hundreds of dollars was destroyed after a house was gutted by fire in Mpopoma suburb yesterday morning. A tenant, Tendai Kuvava, who was in the house, sustained burns while trying to put out the fire.
By Blondie Ndebele
Kuvava said the fire started when an energy saver bulb in the room explored, creating sparks that quickly ignited as there was a two-litre paraffin container in the room.
“The globe blew up. I rushed into the room to check and I found the house on fire,” she said.
Witnesses at the scene told NewsDay yesterday that they rushed to the house to find out what was happening when they heard Kuvava screaming.
“I was cleaning in my house when I heard Kuvava screaming,” Evelyn Mamvuto, a neighbour, said.“I quickly rushed to find out what had happened and that is when I found that the house was on fire. A room was on fire and she collapsed.”
Scores of people from the neighbourhood also rushed to the scene and helped remove Kuvava from the house, while others tried to put out the fire.
“We were the first people to come here. We disconnected all the electricity plugs and we started pouring water to stop the fire while others were took the property outside,” Yekani Dube, another neighbour, said.
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“We managed to save a few things in the affected room although some were affected by the smoke,” Yekani Dube added.
Bulawayo City Council acting chief fire officer Edward Mpofu confirmed the incident and said it was due to an electrical fault that had occurred when a lighting bulb exploded.
“A young lady sustained burns in an attempt to put out the fire in Mpopoma yesterday,” he said. [email protected]
