7-year-old boy braves inferno to rescue sister

A two-year-old girl of Nasiwayo area in Nalolo district has narrowly escaped death after a fire swept through a house she was sleeping in.

The said house belongs to Nasiwayo fish farming group. Group chairperson, Likando Mutakatala, disclosed the incident said the fire was accidentally started by a caretaker’s son who was burning wasps near the roof of the house when the infant was sleeping inside the structure.

He said the incident, which happened on Sunday, April 2, 2023, around 16:00 hours, has left property worth thousands of Kwacha destroyed.

Mr Mutakatala said the girl was only rescued by a lad who braved the fire.

“After the fire started, the one who started it ran outside to shout for help, that is when his young brother aged seven remembered that their sister was still sleeping in the house and that is how he rushed inside to carry the sister out,” he said.

Mr Mutakatala further disclosed that a water tank which the Nasiwayo fish farming group uses to pump water into the fish ponds also got damaged in the process.

“We have lost some property that we used to keep for the group such as water pipes, nets, including house property for the caretaker and a tank for the project,” he revealed.

Mr Mutakatala has since appealed to the government and other well-wishers to assist the affected family and the group acquire new items for their use.

“We established this fish farming group in 2014 and got funding from the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) in 2017 hence, it will be difficult for us to raise money to replace the burnt property,” he said

Nasiwayo fish farming group comprises ten members and one them had volunteered to live at the site to take care of the property.

And Nalolo District Commissioner, Namatama Mupo, has described the fire incident as unfortunate.Ms Mupo said it was good that the girl was saved from the inferno.

“We thank God that a young child had the courage to rescue his sister from the burning house otherwise we would be talking about something else,” she said.

Ms Mupo said it is sad that one of the viable projects under the PPCR had its property destroyed.

“This is one of the active groups in Nalolo which has even employed other people hence this is a big blow to the group,” she added.

Ms Mupo said government will engage other stakeholders to see how the group can be helped so that it can continue with its activities.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), has assisted the group with a tent for a temporary shelter as it awaits further assistance.