The Sunday News
Mncedisi Buhali Sunday News Reporter
A MYSTERIOUS fire which reportedly started out of nothing in two adjacent houses in Entumbane in Bulawayo destroyed property worth thousands of dollars.
The incident, which attracted scores of residents of Entumbane, happened at around 2pm at the first house (number 32605) and while they were putting the fire out, it “jumped” to the opposite house (number 32347).
In an interview with Sunday News, Mr Taboka Ncube, one of two grandchildren of the owner of house number 32605 who are living with a tenant, said he had just arrived at the house when suddenly there was fire in the bedroom.
“I was just relaxed in the sitting room and some woman next door came in running and asked me about the smell in the house. She told me that the house was burning. When I opened the bedroom I saw fire on the bed,” Mr Ncube said.
He said the house was being extended and had not been electrified, hence the fire was not triggered by an electrical fault.
“I honestly do not understand what happened because to make matters even worse, when the neighbours had helped us to put out the fire before it destroyed many things, it started at one of their houses which is just opposite our house,” he said.
Mr Antony Ncube, the neighbour who had his house burnt, said while residents were still investigating what had happened to their neighbours, a fire started at his house.
“One of the children noticed smoke coming out through the window at our house. When we entered the bedroom, it was on fire and I have never seen such a fire before. Luckily, neighbours came and we managed to put it out. However, most of our things were already burnt,” he said.
He said the fire department was called by a neighbour who was worried that the fire would continue.
However, Bulawayo chief fire officer Mr Richard Peterson said when the fire department arrived at the scene they discovered two match sticks in both houses which raised suspicions of foul play.
“It appears that whoever set the houses on fire was playing around with the match sticks. The intention, we do not know and he or she used a window. We found the sticks in the ground and near the windows in both houses. It also appears that whoever set the house on fire knew what he or she was doing or wanted to achieve,” said Mr Peterson.
“I know that most of the people will say that these were acts of goblins, but we must not forget that in our societies where we live there are evil people who always do evil things.
“What I will advise people is that they must not leave their windows or doors open, because you may never know what other people are thinking.”
Mr Antony Ncube suspects that goblins started the fire.
“This thing, if you may look at it closely it seems like it has to do with goblins. That is what everybody is thinking too. What is funny also is that just after an hour when we had just stopped the fire at my house, it started again at my neighbour’s house where it originated,” said Mr Ncube.
Mrs Lebohang Ncube, Antony’s wife, said she was also certain that the fire was not caused by an electrical fault, but it started mysteriously.
“This fire just started out of nowhere. I lost my property and brand new clothes that I wanted to sell. The next morning I went to church to seek spiritual intervention,” said Mrs Ncube.
