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Ms Jazi Nyarugwe(left) and Mr Fungai Nyamhandu mourn their deceased relatives yesterday. In the background are the remins of the house and a commuter omnibus that were gutted by fire in Overspill, Epworth, on Christmas Day. – Picture by Kudakwashe Hunda

Innocent Ruwende: Senior Reporter

Two people died, while four others are battling for life at a city hospital after they were seriously burnt in a petrol and cooking gas explosion in Overspill, Epworth, on Christmas Day.What had promised to be a funfilled Christmas commemoration for two families ended tragically as the inferno also engulfed three cars and destroyed property worth thousands of dollars.

On the fateful day, a petrol dealer, Claude Nyamandu popularly known as “DeMbare”, and his young brother’s family from Waterfalls, had gathered to celebrate Christmas together.

His sibling was braaing outside the house while their wives were cooking on gas stoves in the house. Nyamandu allegedly sought the help of his neighbours’ son, Given Chinyamukwanguke (5), to hold a funnel while he poured petrol into a generator so that he could provide entertainment for the Christmas celebrations.

It is alleged that as he poured the fuel, suddenly the whole place was engulfed by a huge ball of fire and the adults rushed into a bedroom and locked themselves up.

However, the neighbours’ son was not as lucky as he was engulfed by the fire together with Nyamandu’s brother’s five-year-old daughter. It is alleged that although neighbours finally put out the fire, the presence of the fuel in Nyamandu’s premises made it difficult to put out the fire.

It is suspected that the fuel caused the fire and that the liquid petroleum gas worsened the situation. A funeral wake was underway yesterday at the Chinyamukwanguke homestead in Epworth. Family spokesperson Mr Christopher Mujeyi said they were treating the incident as an accident.

“It is normal for children to play next door. We took the whole incident as an accident. However, we urge people who deal with flammable substances to find suitable premises away from homesteads to avoid such incidents.

“We also need a service station in Epworth because some of these things are being caused by the need for fuel. We do not have electricity here, so a number of people use generators,” he said.

Although police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba could not be reached for a comment yesterday, police officers close to the matter confirmed the development.

Meanwhile, backyard filling stations are posing a danger to residents in Mutare as cheap Mozambican petrol is being smuggled into the border town.

The situation has resulted in business plummeting for service stations as motorists frequent backyard service stations with one in the Central Business District popularly known as kwaMutsa which is near 3 Brigade Maintenance Barracks being popular.

Illegal fuel dealings at the place are endangering the lives of the public as it is located near a supermarket, Civic Centre and Zesa premises.

An illegal restaurant also operates from the premises where the fuel is sold posing a great risk. The dealers are buying unleaded petrol at a cost of $0,50 a litre and reselling it on the black market for $1,10 per litre while diesel goes for $0,80.

Service stations are selling petrol at between $1,27 and $1,32 per litre, while the cost of diesel ranges from $1,15 to $1,20 per litre.