Chirundu house gutted

———A four bedroom house in Chirundu’s Mission
Compound has been gutted with property worth over KR2000 destroyed.

Both Chirundu District Commissioner, Maxwell Siamalimba and Sherry Hamweende, the occupant, confirmed the incident to ZANIS in an interview this morning.

Mrs Hamweende, a teacher at Tiyamike community school, said the incident happened on Monday around 16:00 hours when she was at work.

"I just received a call while at work that my house was gutted. Basically what happened was that on Monday from 10:00 hrs we had no electricity at home. So my three-year-old boy, who was alone at home, is believed to have lit a candle and took it to my main bedroom and in the process one of my clothes caught fire which spread out into the entire bedroom," she said.

She said the neighbours who saw the fire fuming out from the bedroom’s window managed to get inside and saved the boy who escaped unhurt.

Mrs Hamweende said police officers and Zesco employees who arrived at the scene found the entire bedroom   ablaze and continued to spray water to keep fire from spreading.

She said the fire was eventually brought under control at about 16:30hours.

Meanwhile, Mr Siamalimba, who rushed to the scene, expressed sadness over the accident.

He, however, said the local authority was in the process of procuring a new fire tender.

The DC assured the Chirundu residents that after three months the district will have a fire tender which will reduce cases of fire accidents experienced in the area.

Mr Siamalimba said government at district level through Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) would do everything possible to help Mrs Hamweende with some blankets since it was cold season.

The fire destroyed properties which included blankets, mattresses and school certificates.