5 family members die as house is gutted by fire

Fungai Muderere/Nhlalwenhle Ncube
A SOMBRE atmosphere engulfed Bulawayoa��s Nketa 6 high density suburb after a mysterious fire gutted down a six-roomed house in the wee hours of Thursday claiming lives of five family members.

The house was being rented by Musafaro Chidembo and his family.

Musafaro (41) a public transport operator whose Sivet Tours plies the Nketa-Munyoro route, lost his wife Esther Muzadzi (29), son Brian (19),A� daughters Nicole (12), Mikel (3) and brother Learnmore (26).

Musafaro(41) survived the inferno together with his son Tafadzwa (13) and daughter Mitchel (5).

A brother to Musafaro, Erasmus told B-Metro that the house had strange things happening in it.

a�?There was a person who once hanged himself there. He (Musafaro) and his family are the only people who had managed to stay there for a longer period.A� However, I think the fire that burnt down the house was caused by naked electrical wires and the wind that was experienced that very night could have aided the fire to spread,a�? he said.

One of the custodians of the house, Happy Chirozva who was visibly shaken said while the owners of the house were in neighbouring South Africa, the top priority was to assist the Chidembo family bury their loved ones.

a�?I really dona��t know what transpired. We are all surprised, I think satan just came into play. This house is owned by two children whose parents passed on sometime back. They are in South Africa and one of them (Charles) is too young to make sure that the house gets a touch-up. I believe there was a chance for the perished family members to escape because young Mitchel and Tafadzwa who were watching television when all hell broke loose managed to escape. This really puzzles us,a�? Chirozva said while shaking his head in disbelief.

One of the neighbours of the Chidembo family, Anna Tinagu said Musafaro dashed out of the house after being alerted of the fire by one of his children but he rushed to park the kombi outside the yard and came back to try and rescue people inside the house.

a�?Ia��m told that he was alerted by one of his children who was watching television and the father quickly dashed out of the house to take his kombi outside the yard. He then returned to try and rescue the other members of the family to no avail,a��a�� said Tinagu.

a�?There was too much smoke in the house and there were some heavy explosions. We wondered where they (explosions) were coming from and we witnessed the whole house being gutted down. The father (Musafaro) managed to come out and he sustained some burns on his back, shoulders and head,a�? she said.

Musafaroa��s Toyota Granvia, also parked in the yard, was burnt to ashes.

Asked on how swift the Fire Brigade was in attending the scene, Tinagu said: a�?I think they delayed. People phoned the crew and my husband and Musafaro had to make a follow-up and they met the crew at the Nketa Drive/Masiyephambili Intersection robots near Tshabalala Extension.a�?

Musafaro is admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital.

Contacted for a comment Bulawayo chief fire officer Richard Peterson said they were still gathering information on what really caused the fire.

a�?It was a sad situation. Losing five family members is not an easy thing. However, we are still gathering information on what really caused the fire. At the moment I cannot say what the cause of the fire was. We have quite a number of possibilities and we are working on what could have been the real cause,a�? said Peterson.

a�?A Bulawayo City Council person who was manning the Nketa 6 Housing office called our offices at 01:04hrs after he had observed flames hitting the housea��s roof. He also listened to the explosions but he did not have the full details of what was taking place. A minute later we got a call from one of the residents who gave us more details including the address,a�? he added.

Councillor Mzamo Dube said the incident had left residents disturbed.

a�?As leaders when such incidents happen we get worried. At such a time I call upon residents to stop talking unnecessary things and support the family during such a difficult time,a�? Dube said.

He also urged residents to swiftly report electrical problems to Zesa to avoid such tragedies.