Two Bulawayo boys miraculously survived a gas canister explosion – albeit with severe burns – at their Mpopoma suburban home.

 
Madodana Mhlophe, 15, reportedly sustained third degree burns during the explosion that rattled windows in the suburb last Thursday and is battling for life at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).
His elder brother Dumo, 19, was treated for superficial burns and discharged from the same hospital last Friday. The mother of the two, Nobesuthu Mhlophe, told The State Media that swift action by her neighbours saved the day.
“I was seated in the lounge on Thursday afternoon. Suddenly I heard a loud bang which made me jump from my seat. It was as if a bomb had gone off in the house,” said Mhlophe. She said in the “deafening silence” of the aftermath, she was galvanised into action when she heard blood curdling screams from her sons.
“I feared the worst,” she said.
Mhlophe said as she stood paralysed by fear, her neighbours came rushing into the house. “I finally gathered strength to go to the kitchen and I saw my sons on fire. They were flailing their arms as they screamed for help,” she said.
She narrated how neighbours battled to control a panicky Madodana who was running around in circles, trying to beat out the flames on his clothes.When they finally subdued the lad and doused the flames, he was severely burnt.
Mhlophe said: “After waiting for the ambulance for a long time, we decided to use a neighbour’s vehicle and we rushed the boys to UBH. I thank God for saving the lives of my two sons because I know it could’ve been worse. Madodana is in pain but we trust the medical personnel will help him recover”.
She said she suspected the explosion could have been caused by a gas leak in the kitchen. The fire destroyed a few household gadgets. “We normally use fire in cases of power cuts but that day we could not as our firewood was wet due to rain,” Mhlophe said.
Another teenager from Mpopoma escaped death recently after a 20-litre petrol container that he was carrying caught fire in their house. Carlton Mhlanga, 16, was passing through the kitchen from a bedroom with a container full of petrol to refuel his father’s car outside when the gas stove, which was on, caused the container to catch fire.
Joseph Mhlanga, his father, said the incident occurred at around 7PM. Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Richard Peterson urged residents to exercise caution while using alternative sources of energy in the face of load shedding and to desist from keeping flammable liquids in their houses.
“I’m more than pleased by the response of the people in the western suburbs. These people help each other to quickly put out fires unlike in the other areas,” he said.
Peterson said at least 99 percent of the fires in the western suburbs are controlled in a single room.
“If a container with any of the flammable liquids explodes, no-one survives in that house.” Peterson reminded residents to remember to put the 09 code before dialling the 71717-9 emergency numbers on their cellphones.
He said residents could call 993 or 994 toll free from landlines