A family of five has become homeless after their two-bedroom house was completely destroyed by fire in Rarawai, Ba, on Wednesday night. Manoj Kumar, a 55-year-old retired employee of the Fiji Sugar Corporation, watched helplessly as flames engulfed the home where he had lived with his wife and three children for the past 50 years.
“It escalated very quickly,” Mr. Kumar recounted. He had gone to the TOTAL Service Station to pick up his son, wife, and daughter, and upon returning, found their house in flames. “We couldn’t save anything,” he added.
The fire broke out around 10:30 PM while no one was at home. “It was heartbreaking to stand there with only the clothes on our backs; everything else was lost in the fire,” he stated. Mr. Kumar and his family had been in Nadi and returned to wait for their eldest son to finish work before the tragedy struck.
According to initial reports, the fire originated from one of the rooms, and police are still investigating the cause. Mr. Kumar has ruled out an electrical fault as the cause. “It’s our family home; we’ve lived there for 50 years. We have lost everything, only a few clothes remain,” he conveyed. Currently, the family is staying with relatives in Rarawai.
Mr. Kumar is seeking financial help to rebuild their home as well as assistance with food and clothing. Attempts to reach the Chief Executive Officer of the National Fire Authority, Puamau Sowane, for a comment were unsuccessful. Those wishing to support Mr. Kumar’s family can reach out to him directly at 9953371.