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Melody Mashaire Herald Reporter
AN Epworth woman and her two children died from serious burns when the floor polish she was making caught fire.

Petrine Vambe (20) died from burns and injuries she sustained while trying to save the toddlers — Tapiwanashe (3) and Sharma Muchenje (1) — from the fire which was spread by a curtain dividing the family’s room.

Tapiwanashe died in the fire on Sunday while Sharma died on Monday — the day she was turning one. Vambe succumbed to burns on Tuesday.

The family survived on selling floor polish prepared by Vambe’s husband, Mr Nyengeterai Muchenje (29).

Tragedy struck when Vambe attempted to make floor polish in the absence of her husband who was running late from a Mathematics lesson.

“I was not there when this happened, but the little that I gathered from my wife in hospital is that she had managed to produce about eight containers of floor polish and placed them in the room,” Mr Muchenje said.

“She then used a candle to check if the cobra had dried. The candle fell into one of the containers while she was carrying one of the toddlers.

“They all caught fire after the curtain that divided our room caught fire.

“One of my children was sleeping and was burnt to death.”

Mr Muchenje said he delayed arriving home because of the rains when the incident occurred.

“I was supposed to have been back at home by the time it happened.

“We were in the business of making floor polish and I was the one who made the floor polish everyday.”