Bleak Christmas for Holonga family

A fire gutted a Tongatapu home just four days before Christmas, destroying everything a young family owned.

Pitikeni and Tupou Fungavaka and their two young sons aged three and one lost all their belongings.

Pitikeni told Kaniva News he was thankful no one was killed in the fire.

The blaze erupted and destroyed the house on Wednesday at around 3.30pm, he said.

Fire fighters were at the scene.

Pitikeni said he was at work when he received  a text message saying his house was on fire.

He posted a message on Facebook with a screenshot of the text message.

“This is the message I will never ever forget,” he wrote in Tongan.

His community is working together to make sure the Fungavakas have a happy holiday. They dropped off blankets, food, cutlery, clothing and a tent to the family’s home to help make sure they were taken care of for Christmas.

Pitikeni said his parents and Red Cross were first to arrive in their property in Holonga with assistance.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.