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Lingani Nyika, in Masvingo, [email protected]

A 52-YEAR-OLD man from Masvingo was burnt to death when a room he was sleeping in caught fire on Sunday.

It is suspected that the fire was caused by a cigarette stub that the victim, Gregory Marimbe left after smoking.

Marimbe was alone when the incident occurred at his home in Bhani area.

Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed the incident, which occurred at around 2am

“On February 25, Marimbe had just returned home from Bhani Business Centre where he was drinking beer. He was last spotted holding a bottle of beer while smoking a cigarette,” he said.

“An hour later, he started screaming for help, and his family members who were sleeping nearby were awakened by his cries, and upon investigating, they found that his room was filled with smoke.”

They tried to rescue the deceased to no avail before they made a police report.

“They forced open the door, only to discover that the entire house was on fire with the ceiling collapsing and efforts to rescue Marimbe were fruitless,” said Insp Dhewa.

He said when firefighters were dispatched to the scene, they found Marimbe’s charred body in the room. It was taken to Masvingo Provincial Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.

Insp Dhewa said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be established.

“Our officers are still investigating the cause of the fire,” he said.