Man dies in shed fire at Parafield Gardens despite brave rescue effort
Adelaide’s Chin community is grieving the death of a young man, killed in a backyard shed fire in the city’s north despite family members’ attempts to bring him to safety.
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Adelaide’s Chin community is in shock after a much-loved member died in a fire at Parafield Gardens.
The blaze started in a shed at the back of a Lancaster Ave property just after 1pm on Saturday.
Bawi Hup Lian Zahau, 26, was found dead inside the shed.
His distraught nephew, Anthony Zahau, 20, lives at the property but was not home when the blaze broke out.
He said his 66-year-old grandfather tried frantically to save Bawi, who was stuck inside the shed as flames raged around him.
The grandfather was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with minor burns.
“He tried his best, but he couldn’t do anything,” Mr Zahau said.
“I’ve got no words to say, I just feel it, I just feel the pain … I wish I was home (to help).”
It took 13 MFS firefighters just under 30 minutes to fully extinguish the flames, which had spread to part of the home. The house was only partly damaged.
A large gathering of the local Chin community arrived at Lancaster Ave to support the grieving family after they were notified in a group chat.
Adelaide’s vibrant Chin community originate from western Myanmar.
Many people were seen crying as they walked away from the distressing scene.
Mr Zahau said: “In this time we always support each other, in happiness and sadness.”
One of Bawi’s best friends Thian Ro Lian, 24, also arrived at the scene to offer his support.
Mr Lian said he last saw Bawi on Saturday morning, not long before the fatal blaze.
“I am sad. We are friends always, every day we were together,” he said.
A woman who lives on Halifax Avenue, behind the Lancaster Avenue property, said she saw black smoke “billowing” from the shed.
“I hope the family is OK - there is quite a good, strong Burmese (and Chin) community around here,” she said.
Police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire.
The Parafield Gardens blaze was the third fire in the city in the past 24 hours.
On Saturday morning a couple in the process of moving into their new house on Powell Place at Morphett Vale arrived to find it engulfed in flames.
The couple lost two pet cats in the fire. Two pet dogs and a cat were saved.
On Friday, a house in Hackham West was gutted in a suspected arson attack.
The blaze broke out just before 9pm at the single-storey house on Narvik Cresent.