A family of five has become homeless after a fire destroyed their two-bedroom house in Rarawai, Ba, on Wednesday night. Manoj Kumar, a retired employee of the Fiji Sugar Corporation, expressed heartbreak as he helplessly watched his home go up in flames. For the past 50 years, Mr. Kumar lived there with his wife and three children.
“It happened very quickly. I had driven to the TOTAL Service Station to pick up my son, wife, and daughter. When we returned, our home was engulfed in flames, and we couldn’t save anything,” Mr. Kumar recounted.
The fire broke out around 10:30 PM, and thankfully, no one was home at the time. Mr. Kumar said it was devastating to stand there with only the clothes on their backs as everything they owned was destroyed. He had gone to Nadi with his wife and daughter, and they were waiting for their elder son to finish work when the tragedy struck.
Authorities indicated that the fire originated from one of the rooms, but the cause is still under investigation. Preliminary reports suggest that it was not due to an electrical fault. “This is our family home, and we have lived here for 50 years. Now, we have lost everything except for a few clothes,” he lamented. Currently, the family is staying temporarily at a relative’s house in Rarawai.
Mr. Kumar expressed the family’s urgent need for financial assistance to rebuild their home, as well as food and clothing items. Efforts to contact Puamau Sowane, the chief executive officer of the National Fire Authority, were unsuccessful. Members of the public who wish to help Mr. Kumar’s family can reach him at 9953371.