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| Nurses helping 10 year old Wan Kale. Photo credit: The National |
A 10-YEAR-old boy is dead while his two older brothers are being treated in hospital for burns after their home caught fire last Friday.
The fire gutted their home at Mata village, near the Highlands Highway in Sinasina-Yongumugl district, Chimbu.
John Tangila Kale, 10, a Year Two student at the Yol Elementary School, died in the fire.
His brothers, Wan Kale, 13, a Grade Four student at Ku Primary School, and Kobale Kale, 19, in Grade 11 at Kerowagi Secondary School, were severely burnt.
The fire is believed to have started from a candle they lit after their power supply was disconnected.
Their father, John Kale, had paid the outstanding bill and had been waiting for the power supply to be reconnected.
The fire occurred between 7.30pm and 8pm on Friday while the boys were in the house.
Their parents were attending a church gathering at the nearby Ku village.
Dad John Kale said PNG Power Limited had disconnected the power supply to his house on Thursday.
He paid the outstanding amount of K346.39. But PPL wrongly billed him an extra K322.05 for another customer with the same name (John Kale).
He said the was told to pay K688.44.
“Our meter installation numbers were different and it was proven and confirmed by PPL employees in Kundiawa,” he said.
“I went on Friday (Sept 27) and paid K200 and the employee directed PPL linesmen to go to Mata and reconnect the power supply,” he said.
“I went there when they were attempting to reconnect the supply.
“They gave some excuses and never returned to reconnect the electricity to my house.
“When they failed to return, we had no option but to resort to candle lights for my sons to study.”
An officer at the PNG Power Ltd office in Kundiawa admitted that they mistakenly billed Kale the amount belonging to a man with the same name from Barawagi, in Kerowagi district.
Kale said his house was valued at K500,000 and had three bedrooms, shower, toilet, living room, kitchen and balcony.
Kundiawa police are investigating the cause of the fire.
The National/Pacific Flash