Woman burnt beyond recognition
Woman burnt beyond recognition
21 August 2012
published by www.newsday.co.zw
Zimbabwe–– A 52-year-old Rusape woman was on Thursday last week burnt beyond recognition after attempting to put out a veld fire she had accidentally started.
According to police, Sheila Kapenzi was doing gardening with her eight-year-old nephew, Prince Mashaya, when they started a fire to burn some residues in their garden in Mutanha village.
As they were putting out the fire, a strong wind suddenly blew up the fire which then spread to a nearby gumtree plantation.
On the fateful day, Sheila Kapenzi was doing her gardening chores with her nephew when a strong wind blew up the fire to the gumtree plantation, Manicaland police spokesperson Inspector Enock Chishiri said.
Kapenzi then proceeded to the plantation where she tried to put out the fire using bucket water to avoid the fire from spreading across the village.
While in the plantation, she was overpowered by the fire and was burnt beyond recognition.
Her body was found on Friday in the plantation badly burnt where many trees were also razed down by the inferno.
Police urged the public to seek adequate manpower before attempting to put out veld fires.
The death of Kapenzi came hot on the heels of a similar tragedy in July when a 13-year-old boy in Buhera was burnt beyond recognition when a veld fire torched the hut in which he was sleeping, resulting in the roof collapsing.
Whenever people try to put out a veld fire, they should take note of the wind direction so that they will not be victims of dangerous fires.
They should also seek enough manpower, Chishiri said.
