By ALICE NACHILEMBE
A 14-year-old girl from Twatasha area in Chingola suffered severe burns while attempting to rescue her younger siblings from their burning house.
The incident occurred on September 24, 2024, between midnight and 1:00 a.m. at house number 49, Twatasha (Maikulile) Township.
Andrew Malishana Kilele, 78, a retired miner, reported to Chikola police post that his house, where he resides with his wife and four grandchildren, caught fire under unknown circumstances.
The family had retired to bed around 8:00 p.m. the previous evening, leaving everything intact.
The eldest grandchild, a grade 9 pupil at Chingola Combined School, was studying in her bedroom using a solar torch when she alerted her family to the fire. While evacuating her siblings, the teenager sustained burns all over her body.
Copperbelt Police Commissioner Peacewell Mweemba confirmed the incident, stating that police visited the scene and found the fire centered in the living room, damaging furniture, including a set of sofas. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
The victim is currently hospitalized at Nchanga North General Hospital, where her condition is reported as unstable.
