A family in Harare, Zimbabwe was left counting losses after a stray firecracker landed on their thatched house, ignited and razed down a portion of their plush two-storey property.
According to reports reaching iHarare, the incident happened around midnight when people started blasting firecrackers as they celebrated the New Year.
Sunday Mail reports that the fire consumed much of the house’s thatched roof while household property worth thousands of dollars was destroyed, although no fatalities were recorded.
Speaking on the incident, the owner of the property, Breit Spark, revealed the house caught fire just a couple of minutes after he heard a loud bang of a firecracker exploding.
“It happened at midnight, I was sleeping when I heard a loud bang of a firecracker exploding and moments later I found the house had caught fire — I am very certain it was a firecracker that ignited the house,” he said.
The City of Harare Fire Department responded swiftly to the incident and managed to douse the inferno just in time before all the property was destroyed by the fire.
“We got assistance from neighbours who came quickly to assist with getting some of the furniture out
Were it not for the kindness and assistance of neighbours and the dedicated hard work from the fire department, things could have been much worse,” he said.
This inferno incident comes just a couple of days after the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) issued a warning on people selling, buying or using firecrackers on New Year’s Eve and afterwards.
The Police prohibited the use of firecrackers after noting that they pose dangers to humans and animals.