Cuito - An 87-year-old woman burnt to death on Tuesday in Etunda Catele village, Calussinga commune, central Bié province, as a result of a fire that affected 21 homes, the spokesperson of the Civil Protection and Fire Service (SPCB), sub-inspector Vasco Chioca said Wednesday.
According to the SPCB spokesperson, the fire of small proportions hit the residence where the elderly woman was, destroyed 21 homes and caused two fatalities and material damage.
The firefighter chief pointed to anarchic burning, a recurring practice in the communities, as the "culture" of clearing fields for agriculture and poaching as the supposed causes.
This is the third time this has happened in Bié province this year. The first was in June, in the municipality of Chitembo, when four children burned to death in a hut after it caught fire.
The second occurred in July, also in the commune of Calussinga, when two children lost their lives after being hit by arson in a vegetable garden. AS/BAN/MS/DAN/AMP
