Tufuiopa family lose homes to fire

By Deidre Tautua-Fanene 28 June 2018, 12:00AM

A family at Tufuiopa is counting their losses after a fire ripped through their three homes yesterday morning destroying their belongings.

According to eye witness Tita’e Afele, who was at the scene of the incident, the fire was allegedly triggered by an iron that was not switched off after use. 

“This is not my house,” she told the Samoa Observer.

“This is my son in law’s family but I came to visit my daughter and her children.

“The house that was caught on fire is in the middle of the other two houses that were also affected.

“What happen is that, my son in law’s niece was using the iron this morning and then she left.

“She locked her bed room and left for school.

The iron was allegedly left on by the student as she said she smelt ‘something burn’ a few hours later. 

 “I went around the house checking everywhere to see where the smell was coming from but I couldn’t find it.

“I looked everywhere but still nothing until later one of my son in law’s uncle yelled at us to run outside because one of the bed rooms was on fire.

She said the bedroom, where the fire started, belongs to her son-in-law’s niece.  

“She probably forgot to turn it off.”

The elderly woman went on to say she is thankful that nobody got hurt but all their belongings were gone.

The Fire Service arrived at the scene but could not put out the fire as it had already spread due to the close proximity of the three houses.  

“Lucky nobody got hurt but all our belongings as well as our important things such as passports and all that are all gone,” she added.

By Deidre Tautua-Fanene 28 June 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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