A teenager’s quick thinking saved more than 20 family members after a fire swept through their compound yesterday, destroying four homes in Valenicina, Lami.
Unaisi Qoli said the blaze was first detected by her 18-year-old niece, Sera Talei, who woke up to a sound coming from an empty house owned by an aunt.
“She heard something break and screamed for help,” Ms Qoli said.
“Her scream woke my brother, who rushed to save our parents, who were still asleep in their house.”
Ms Qoli said her brother had to break the doors to their parent’s house to rescue them.
The fire, believed to have started in the vacant home, spread rapidly to three neighbouring houses where relatives were sleeping.
All structures were built closely together, causing the flames to engulf the compound within minutes.
“Nothing was left. Everything is gone.”
Among those affected were Ms Qoli’s elderly parents, Laiakini Lutu, 77, and Setaita Tagimuri, 76; her brother and sister-in-law and their five children; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Ms Qoli said her father initially refused to leave the burning home because of his emotional attachment to the place he had built.
“He didn’t want to leave, but he was eventually dragged to safety. My mother was rushed for medical attention after inhaling smoke.”
Attempts by family members to put out the fire failed because of water supply problems.
The National Fire Authority responded to the blaze, but all four homes including Ms Qoli’s childhood home and her brother’s residence were destroyed.
“We cannot say how the fire started or who started it because we saw nothing.”
The incident has left multiple families, including young children, displaced and facing the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from scratch.
