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When she ventured outside, she realized that the entire place was dark, and by then the community was out in large numbers to render assistance.
Asked if she had any idea what may have started the fire, the woman said she had no clue, and it was only when she heard persons shouting for fire that she became aware that the house was blazing from the lower flat.
She said that seven children and three adults lived in the upper flat of the building, while four persons lived in the lower flat; and the efforts of the community with the aid of a bucket brigade saved the house from total destruction by fire, since the fire tender took a while before arriving in the community.
She added that, had the people waited for the fire tender without attempting to fight the blaze, the entire house would have gone up in flames.
Asked about her first reaction after seeing the smoke, Ms Stacy explained that she became very confused and did not know if she should throw water on the floor, which would have fought the blaze on the lower flat.
Meanwhile, Kwesie Joseph, who occupied the lower flat of the building, told this publication that no one was at home at the time the fire alarm was raised. He recalled that his mother had left the house at 06:00 hrs yesterday, while he had left at 08:00hrs and never returned home, since he was at some friends.
The young man said that while at his friends, someone came there to alert him that “Y’all whole house in flames!”, which, according to him, came as a total shock. Joseph said he rushed home only to find a large crowd of residents armed with buckets and other liquid holders as they doused the house which burned.
When he arrived at the house, he immediately noticed that most of the fire and smoke were coming from the area housing the main switch. Closer examination revealed that the very area was badly burnt. He explained that the main switch sent the wiring to the fuse box, while the wiring of the house has been done within its ceiling.
He suspects that the fire may have started at the main switch area and fed back to the fuse box before spreading elsewhere. The fuse box is located in his bedroom, and due to the fire yesterday, everything in his room was completely destroyed, while other parts of the house remained badly damaged.
While the upper flat of the house did not suffer much fiery damage to household items, the flooring of the house has been compromised due to the fire in the ceiling of the lower flat, which penetrated the flooring of the upper flat.
The fire has left the two families counting their losses, which include money, jewellery, documents and personal effects. There was also damage to household appliances, especially, in the case of those living on the lower flat.
Both families have expressed uncertainty with regard to their future accommodation as they seek to put the proverbial pieces of their lives together.
