A night of horror leaves a family shattered after flames engulfed their home in Quarter II while the children were alone inside.
Three children have died in a devastating house fire in Quarter II, Manjo Subdivision, Moungo Division, in the Littoral Region.
The tragedy occurred on the night of Tuesday, October 6, 2026, while the children were asleep inside the family home.
The victims, BaretaNews gathered, have been identified as Tchakunte Ngwané Daniel, Minto Nesly, 5, and Noché Ezechiel, an infant. Daniel and Nesly were pupils at École Publique de Manjo, while Ezechiel was enrolled at a nursery school in the town.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out after electricity returned following a blackout. They believe a power surge may have triggered the blaze, which quickly spread through the house while the children were sleeping.
Residents rushed to the scene and tried to put out the flames, but the fire had already engulfed the house. The children could not be rescued.
However, another source familiar with the incident gave a different account. According to this version, there was no electricity when the parents left the house. They allegedly lit a candle before going out, and the candle may have started the fire.
The parents, Muche Chounang Daniel and Ventueu Nadège, were away at the time.
The mother, a snail trader, had gone out to look for snails to buy and sell the following day. Her husband accompanied her to help.
By the time they returned, their home had been consumed by flames, and their three children were dead.
The conflicting accounts have left the exact cause of the fire uncertain. A formal investigation will be needed to establish whether the blaze was linked to an electrical fault, a candle or another cause.
What remains undisputed is the devastating loss: three children, asleep in their home, did not survive the fire.
The tragedy has plunged the family and the Manjo community into mourning.
By Lucas Muma | BaretaNews
