Boy Who Just Turned 14 Watches Home Destroyed in Fire
Ahome razed to the ground was certainly not on Shivnesh Kumar’s list of presents when he celebrated his 14th birthday yesterday.
The teenaged boy could not believe that just a few days before Christmas with December 13 being his birthday, disaster would hit his family. When asked if he wanted people to help his family, and probably give some presents for him and his 10-year-old sister, Shalini Devi, he looked back at what was left of his home and said slowly: “if they want to.”
Their home, at Nadele, Sabeto in Nadi was on fire around midnight on Monday and not a structure or frame was left standing. The damages were estimated to be around $50,000.
“We were all asleep and about midnight, my father, (Salesh Kumar), was yelling at us to get out of the house,” he said.
“He was woken up by smoke and when he opened the kitchen door, the flames burnt his arm and back.”
Asleep were Shivnesh, Shalini, their mother, Jyotika Devi, grandmother, Sumintra Wati, 61 and a cousin Alfaz Azam, 14.
The family managed to save their vehicle.
Mr Kumar, a cane farmer, was at the Nadi Hospital yesterday getting treatment for his burns while farmers turned up in numbers yesterday to clear the mangled roofing irons and burnt items.
Shivnesh said he will never forget this as his birthday each year will remind him.
“It’s my birthday today, Azam’s was on Tuesday but it’s okay, we can go without celebrating. We have nothing left.
“Christmas will be sad this year because we have no home.”
Their home, at Nadele, Sabeto in Nadi was on fire around midnight on Monday and not a structure or frame was left standing. The damages were estimated to be around $50,000.