Magwegwe house gutted by fire

A Bulawayo woman, 65, from New Magwegwe suburb is homeless after her four-roomed house was gutted by fire on Tuesday night.

Nothing was salvaged when the inferno, sparked by a candle, razed the house.

Georgina Mkhwananzi and her three grandchildren escaped unhurt when their property worth about US$8,000 went up in smoke.

By the time firefighters arrived, the fire had already destroyed everything.

Mkhwananzi, who was in tears, said the fire was started by a candle.

"There was no electricity when I went to sleep and I left a candle lit since my three grandchildren were still awake.

"Unfortunately, they forgot to put off the candle before they went to bed," she said.

"I woke up in the middle of the night to discover the bed I was sleeping in was burning and the entire room filled with smoke."

She said she quickly took her grandchildren out of the house and screamed for help to alert the neighbours.

The neighbours tried in vain to put out the fire and when the Fire Brigade arrived, the damage was already done, said Sindiso Khumalo, who lives close-by.

Meanwhile, neighbours have donated groceries and blankets worth US$500 to assist the family.