WATCH: Tragedy strikes as boy (8) dies in house fire

POLICE have launched an investigation after an eight-year-old Grade Three pupil from Mgoqo Primary School in Nkulumane suburb died on Monday night in a house fire that left the community in shock.

The incident occurred at around 11pm when Blessing Muzenda, who lived with his father, was alone in the room.

His father had gone on some errands while his mother was said to be working outside the country after the couple reportedly separated, close sources said.

When a Chronicle news crew visited the house yesterday morning, a sombre atmosphere engulfed the scene as residents tried to come to terms with what had transpired.

The boy’s father was hardly able to speak to the news crew.

One of the neighbours, Ms Netsai Manyame, said the fire broke out just after 11pm following power restoration after load shedding.

“I was about to sleep when I heard some cracking sounds. Initially I thought maybe there were thieves trying to break in.

“Then I saw a bolt of fire because when power was restored, we did not switch on our lights. But when I opened the curtain, I saw a big flame and that is when I called my son to come and extinguish the fire while calling other residents to come and help put out the fire,” said Ms Manyame.

“After we managed to put out the fire, one of the neighbours said there was a child inside and that’s when we realised that the worst had happened.”

Neighbours suspect that the fire could have been caused by an electrical fault. Mrs Mildred Sivenga, who stays in the same suburb, said the incident was traumatic.

“When we got here, residents had already gathered after extinguishing the fire. I don’t know how the fire started, but when police were called to the scene, they found that the boy had covered himself with a blanket,” she said.

“We thought he was burnt beyond recognition, but when investigations were done it was observed that he had covered his face using a blanket. Only his knees were burnt and the rest of his body was not charred.”

Mrs Sivenga said it was a difficult situation for the family as nothing was salvaged from the house.

“His father had gone to the market to offload some goods with his brother. This is really a sad situation,” she added.

Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube, said they were investigating the case.

“We are investigating a sudden death incident where an eight-year-old boy died following a fire that broke out at his home in Nkulumane suburb on Monday night,” he said.

“The boy had been left in the room alone by his father while there was loading shedding, before the fire started. We are working with the Bulawayo Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire,” said Insp Ncube.

Bulawayo chief fire officer, Mr Mhlangano Moyo, said his team only reported to the scene after being informed by the police.

“Our investigations show that the boy could have been using a gas lamp, which could have caused the fire. While he was burnt on the legs, our preliminary investigations suggest that he could have died due to smoke inhalation,” said Mr Moyo.

“What we gathered from the neighbours is that the boy only cried three times, but neighbours failed to open the door to rescue him.

“When they tried to open the windows the fire was already out of control, but the residents managed to put it out before our teams could even go on the ground.”

He urged guardians never to leave minors unattended to prevent possible loss of lives. — @nqotshili