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Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
AN elderly Redcliff woman and her four grandchildren cheated death after their house was gutted by fire which destroyed all their property following a gas explosion.

Mavis Zulu (74) of Rutendo in Redcliff, was left counting her losses after her two-bedroomed apartment was razed down by fire following the gas explosion.

Her four grandchildren, most of them under the age of 12, survived the inferno, but it, however, did not spare their property.

Zulu is also devastated that her grandchildren, who are all orphans, had lost their birth certificates, which she had a torrid time acquiring, in the fire.

When the Chronicle news crew arrived at the scene, Zulu was struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

Neighbours were milling around consoling the elderly woman.

All property was reduced to ashes and the asbestos roof was also destroyed.

Fighting back tears, Zulu narrated what transpired.

“It was around eight in the evening on Tuesday when one of my grandchildren was cooking rice using a gas stove.

Suddenly, we heard a loud explosion,” she said.

Luckily, all the children managed to escape unhurt.

“The children managed to escape and all of them are safe, no one was hurt.

I tried to get back to get documents for the children for it was not easy for me to acquire them since their parents are late.

So, in my mind, their birth certificates were in my mind but I don’t know who pulled me back among those who attended the scene,” she said.

Zulu said she rarely uses a gas stove.

“My grandchildren know that I don’t want gas to be used since most of the time I use firewood for cooking.

But since it was late and it was raining, I had to let them use gas.

Little did I know it was leading to disaster,” she narrated.

She said all her grandchildren were orphans.

“All the parents of these children passed on.

Three of my six children passed away and I have been staying with their children since the time of their deaths. Now I do not know where to start from,” said Zulu.

Reverend Pardon Chingowo of the United Baptist Church of Zimbabwe (UBCZ) whose parish is a stone’s throw away said they had offered the family temporary shelter.