Sanjay Nand is feeling relieved after his family narrowly escaped a fire that engulfed their rental home on Tiri Road in Nadawa, Nasinu, yesterday.
“The fire originated in the middle room, but I’m grateful that my wife, mother-in-law, and niece all managed to get out with minor burns,” Mr. Nand shared. “My wife was the only one who needed to go to the hospital for treatment.”
While Mr. Nand was at work, he received a phone call notifying him of the fire. “By the time I got there, the house was still on fire, but my family members were safe outside,” he recounted. He indicated that the family pays $1,000 in rent for the three-bedroom house, but he has not assessed the damage caused by the fire.
He expressed his gratitude to the firefighters who arrived on the scene and prevented the flames from spreading to adjacent homes. “When my wife entered the bedroom, the mattress was already ablaze, but we do not know how the fire started,” he stated. “The flames then spread to the roof.”
Mr. Nand revealed that his family holds daily prayers at home, involving a diya (lamp). However, he is uncertain if it was the cause of the fire, as he believes it would have fallen onto a tray if it had.
The National Fire Authority (NFA) confirmed that they responded to the blaze, and an investigation is ongoing to determine its cause. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro also confirmed that two women and a child were able to evacuate safely. “We are waiting for the fire report from the NFA to establish the cause of the fire,” Ms. Naisoro said.