House burns to the ground while family is at mall
Eyewitnesses allege the fire broke out in the main bedroom and later spread throughout the house.
KwaThema – Tuesday afternoon saw the Mabeba family’s house in September Street burn down while the family were at the mall.
Eyewitnesses allege the fire broke out in the main bedroom and later spread throughout the house.
Devastated owner Josephine Mabeba says they had switched off all electrical appliances before leaving.
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“My daughter and I left the house to go shopping.
“Within 10 minutes of being at the mall, we received a call saying our house was on fire.
“I don’t know what happened because we had turned off everything before leaving, now we are only left with the clothes we are wearing, all our important documents have been burnt,” says Mabeba.
Neighbour Agnes Ntshalintshli says: “I was coming back from the shop, as I was parking my car I saw flames through the window.
“I panicked and didn’t know what to do, that’s when I started to calling the community to come help.”
Community members had to use force to gain access to the property to try to put out the flames.
KwaThema Fire Station manager Larry Ndhlovu says at this stage the cause of fie remains unknown.
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“When we arrived on scene the roof had collapsed and the community tried to clear the living room.
“We managed to contain the fire, but great damage had been done already.
“At this point we are still investigating to find out what might have caused the fire,” says Ndhlovu.
Ward 80 councillor Wilson Busakwe, who was also present at the scene, says: “I saw smoke and people running around, that’s when I decided to come see what was happening.
“When I got here the flames were high and the wind was making it worse.
“That’s when I decided to call the emergency service department to ask for assistance,” says Busakwe.
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