BY NIZBERT MOYO
Three people – an elderly woman and her two grandchildren – were burnt beyond recognition when their house in Morningside, Bulawayo caught fire on Wednesday night.
Bulawayo acting fire officer, Lynos Phiri said preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was caused by an electrical fault.
Phiri said when the fire brigade arrived at the scene, they found the entire house in flames with the roof having curved in, and had to watch helplessly because the gate was locked.
“Prisca Mushore (57), Stacy Mushori (14) and Brendon Moyo (9) were severely burnt in a seven-roomed house under tiles and the estimated value of the property was $500 000,” Phiri said.
“Estimated losses were $300 000 and total value of the saved property was $200 000. The cause of the fire was due to an electrical short circuit which caused an explosion from the ceiling that had accumulated some dust.”
Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the three deaths.
“I can confirm that the (incident) occurred on Wednesday evening. A neighbour at Hillside noticed fire and she immediately informed the police, it was discovered that a woman and a girl aged around 14 as well as a boy aged nine died in the inferno. The cause of the fire is not yet ascertained, but investigations are in progress,’’ Ncube said.
