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Remember Deketeke and Obey Musiwa
Property worth about US$50 000 was destroyed yesterday morning after a fire suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault, broke out at a house in Chitungwiza’s Unit K, commonly known as KwaChirunga.
Six people, including children, escaped unhurt.
Owner of the house Mrs Takesure Mujera yesterday told The Herald that she was awoken by electricity lights at around 1am, and heard neighbours fetching water.
“I then went back to sleep but heard noise on the roof top. It happened the second time and I became more frightened,” she said.
“At 3am, my grandson shouted, ‘grandma, there is fire burning the roof of the house’ and that is when I started panicking’.
“I began to shout for my family to escape and then called my daughters and grandkids.”
As the heat intensified, the family bolted out of the house for safety, leaving everything inside.
Unfortunately, they forgot to carry keys to the gate and for some time, they had to brave the heat as the house continued to burn.
It took a Good Samaritan who handed them a hammer, which they used to break the gate and escape.
“Everything was lost in the blaze,” she said.
“Property and business documents, national IDs, birth certificates, passports, cell phones and money, among other valuables, have been lost. We walked out with nothing except our lives,” said Mrs Mujera.
The hero of the day, Mr Tanaka Bwanya, who helped save the people’s lives, said: “I was watching a movie when I mistook the smell of the burning house for a mosquito coil in my room. I switched off the electricity, but the smell persisted and then I saw flames at Mbuya Jayden’s house.
“I quickly rushed out of the room, jumped the gate and continued straight to the kitchen where I heard Caroline screaming for help as she could not walk.
“I then carried her out of the house but the fire continued and to save ourselves, my friend threw a hammer that helped us open the locked gate and exit the yard.”
Mr Bwanya said neighbours came in to help put out the fire with water buckets.
Miss Caroline Mujera, who is unable to walk after a previous medical procedure, said all her belongings were lost.
“I cannot walk properly and am confined to using a walker, rendering me helpless during emergencies. When people shouted fire, I started using the walls to walk but I could not outrun the fire.
“Fortunately, my neighbour Mr Bwanya rushed in, and carried me to safety as the flames intensified. But I lost my laptop, phone, personal documents, medication and money and I am deeply concerned as my medical condition requires urgent assistance,” she said.
Chitungwiza Municipality spokesperson Mr Tafadzwa Kachiko said the fire destroyed 90 percent of the property.
“The incident happened in Unit K at around 3am, and we are yet to establish the cause of the fire. There are no casualties reported. However, there was 90 percent damage to property,” he said.
“When our firefighters arrived at the scene, the roof of the house had already collapsed. The fire brigade team managed to contain the fire from spreading to nearby houses.”
Mr Kachiko appealed to residents to keep roads clear for easy passage of fire trucks.
“We also encourage them to ensure that their houses are numbered for us to quickly locate them in case of emergencies.
“Our fire brigade is readily available not only to extinguish fire, but for any other emergency rescues. In case of emergency, our stakeholders should quickly call 0242127280 and 0242127281,” he said.
Online Reporter