Patient Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
FIVE people have been hospitalised after fire destroyed two houses in Bulawayo’s Emakhandeni and Bellevue suburbs.
In Emakhandeni, 13 family members were sleeping when their eight roomed house caught fire at around 11PM on Monday.
Maggie Moyo, 51, said she woke up when her room was filled with smoke.
“I was sleeping and my children alerted me that the house was on fire. I think the fire might have started at around 11PM. I lost all of my property. I went to Mpilo Central Hospital with my three other children. They told us to buy some medicine. I’m still in shock over what happened,” said Moyo.
Tawanda Ndemera, a neighbour, said he was called to the house when it was on fire.
“The family called me because I’m their driver. When I got there people were outside the gate. I gained entry into the house but I couldn’t manage to get the car as it was burning. My licence was also burnt. I saved a girl who was still inside the house,” said Ndemera.
In Bellevue suburb, two adults and two children escaped through the roof after their six roomed house caught fire in the early hours of Tuesday.
Tension Hlathini said he suspects that an electric fault might have caused the fire at his house.
“There was smoke all over the house. We escaped through the roof with our two children. I threw them down,” said Hlathini.
Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Richard Peterson said they responded to both fires but the flames had consumed most of the property by the time they got there.