Tree falls on house, 15 cheat death

By Nqobile Tshili

Fifteen people, seven of them children, escaped unhurt after a tree fell on a house owned by the Bulawayo City Council in Makokoba suburb.

Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Mr Richard Peterson said the Fire Brigade attended the scene on Monday and was relieved that no one was injured.

“We ended up putting a sail to cover the roof so that during the rains they will have something to shelter under as they wait for a permanent solution.

“There were 15 people in the house, eight adults and seven children. There were no deaths and injuries,” he said.

Mr Peterson urged residents to be on the look out for some trees around their premises as they may fall endangering lives.

“Some of the trees are old, they need to be identified so that they can be removed especially those near homes and any other buildings. I think it’s important that we identify those trees and uproot them,” he said.

Bulawayo City Council senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said the council had been notified of the incident.

She said the council’s insurance team was in the process of evaluating the property to assess the damage that was caused before repairs are made.

Mrs Mpofu said residents should alert council about any trees that they think are a danger to them.

“Normally the council goes around cutting down trees that it thinks may endanger residents.

“But residents are also free to alert the parks team if they think there are trees that are a threat, or nuisance to them so that they can be uprooted,” she said. The Chronicle