House Fire Kills Child In Mchinji

A tragic fire has claimed the life of a one-year-old boy in Mchinji after petrol stored inside the family home ignited, police have confirmed.

According to Mchinji Police spokesperson Limbani Mpinganjira, the child, identified as Brian Kutchire, died after his parents accidentally spilled petrol on a lit stove while transferring it into a drum.

“The incident happened in the morning (yesterday) when the child’s parents, Chiyamiko Kutchire and his wife Shalon Mdeseni, were handling the fuel. The petrol spilled and caught fire, quickly engulfing the house. In the chaos, the couple fled the scene but tragically forgot their sleeping child inside,” Mpinganjira explained.

Both parents sustained injuries and were taken to hospital, where they are receiving treatment.

The family is originally from Chimbayo Village in the Kabudula Chiefdom, Lilongwe.