Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
A HILLSIDE family was left devastated on Thursday morning after flames tore through their rented home, reducing everything to ashes and wiping out property worth thousands of dollars.
In a cruel twist, the family couldn’t call for help in time because they didn’t have the fire brigade’s emergency numbers. The delay proved costly.
Bulawayo’s Chief Fire Officer, Mr Mhlangano Moyo, confirmed the tragedy at House Number 1A Norfolk Road.
“The house was completely gutted. By the time the occupants woke up, the place was already a raging inferno. The roof had collapsed,” he said.
Tenant Nhlanhla Dube and his family reportedly woke up in shock to find flames licking the ceiling and the roof already falling apart.
With no emergency contacts, panic set in. They rushed to Hillside Police Station but found the phones dead. Desperate, they phoned a neighbour, who reached out to someone at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
That person walked all the way to Famona Fire Station to raise the alarm.
By then, it was too late. The fire had swallowed everything.
Mr Moyo said initial signs point to an electrical fault, but investigations are ongoing.
