TWO families in Gilbert Camp, East Honiara are now homeless after their two homes were burnt down by fire around midday on Monday.
The cause of the fire is still unknown but neighbours and surrounding communities suspect its must be a fault from the battery charger using a solar panel.
Speaking to this paper, an eye witness Jimmy Ramoli who also lives close to that area said they tried their best to put out the fire but couldn’t as the wind also helps to spread the fire.
Ramoli said the fire actually started from the inside of one of the houses and as it burns, the other house also caught fire as a result of the strong wind.
“There are two small size buildings made of timber with sago palm leaves and both of them were burnt as they were situated just next to each other,” he said.
He said they have tried all that they can but couldn’t save the two buildings.
“All that we can do is to prevent the fire from reaching the other house just a few meters away,” he said.
Ramoli said it’s a sad incident for the family especially as they have nothing left with them except what they wore that day.
“The sad thing is those families were not at home at that time as they were out in town for their jobs and some of them were notified by phone whilst others upon their return later in the day,” he said.
He said they made a call for the fire truck but upon its arrival, there was nothing much it can do as the two houses were already razed to the ground.
He then called on the responsible authorities such as the Solomon Islands Red Cross and the disaster group within the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology to provide assistance for the family, especially with basic family needs.
Seeing what had happened, Ramoli said he donated two truckloads of sawn timbers as part of his assistance towards the two families.
Ramoli said they will continue to organise appeal calls to surrounding communities and if anyone with the heart to help, they can do so.
“The two families really need our support especially with basic items, any help given to them will be very much appreciated,” he said.
