Family Homeless After Fire Destroys Home

A family of five is homeless after their two bedroom home was razed to the ground in a fire at Rarawai, Ba, on Wednesday night.

Retired Fiji Sugar Corporation employee Manoj Kumar, 55, could not save anything but could only watch helplessly as a fire destroyed the house he has been living in with his wife and three children the last 50 years.

“It happened really quickly, I drove to the TOTAL Service Station to pick my son, wife and daughter; when we returned our home was on fire and we could not save anything,” Mr Kumar said.

It was around 10.30pm; no one was home. It was devastating to be standing there with only the clothes on your back; everything else was gone in the fire,” he said.

Mr Kumar had gone to Nadi with his wife and daughter, when they returned, they waited at the service station for the elder son to knock-off from work.

It was around 10.30pm when the fire happened. I was by myself throughout the day, he said.

The fire had started from one of the rooms but Police are still investigating.

We only know it could not have been an electrical fault.

It’s a family house, we have stayed there for 50 years. We’ve got nothing at all now, only a few clothes but everything else was destroyed,” he said.

The family is temporarily staying at a relative’s house in Rarawai.

“We need financial assistance to rebuild the house and some food items and clothes,” he said.

Phone calls made to the National Fire Authority chief executive officer Puamau Sowane remained unanswered.

Members of the public who wish to assist Mr Kumar’s family may contact him directly at 9953371.

Feedback: salote.qalubau@fijisun.com.fj