Fire guts widows’ property at ATS settlement

By GRACE AUKA
A HOUSE, trade store and goods worth K60,000 belonging to two widows were destroyed in a fire believed to have been caused by an unattended lit candle.
The Mata family from Southern Highlands lost their home in the fire that started at 10.45pm last Thursday at the Air Transport Squadron (ATS) settlement in Port Moresby.
Family spokeswoman Marilyn Nick said yesterday the cause of the fire was believed to be an unattended lit candle in a neighbour’s house.
“The fire started from one of houses adjacent to their shop and spread to the trade store, and then to the family home and, engulfed everything in less than 10 minutes,” Nick said. 
She said the trade store was owned by the widows of Lucas Mata, a former officer at the Downtown police station.
“Widows Rose and Betty and Betty’s two teenage daughters – Roselyn, 15 and Michelle, 16, were about to go to sleep when they noticed smoke coming out from one of the bedroom windows,” she said.
Betty said they had no time to save any of their valuable items.
She said the family home was built in the late 1980s and most of the timber had been infested with termites.
“The flames spread so fast that they were unable to save any of the items in the shop and the family home,” Betty said.
Betty, from Tiapili village in Erave, Southern Highlands, who has two daughters, lost her husband Lucas in 2009.
Since then they had no other source of income except for the trade store and poultry he
had left. 
“I am crippled and lost for words … I don’t know how I will look after my two daughters, who are attending school and even sustain their daily living because of the high cost of living in the city,” she said.
She said 20 years of hard work had turned into ashes.
The Mata family is appealing for help.
Anyone willing to help can contact Betty on 7283 7088/7269 7621 or cash can be deposited to the trust account: Betty Nimwande Mata BSP account # 1001692617.