Family taken in by loved ones after fire tears through home
Just over two months after a tornado uprooted their community, a Nest Park family has now been taken in by friends, neighbours and family, after their home was “totalled” by a fire.
“She came running and screaming hysterically, saying the fire had reached their house,” were the words of Pauline Parker, as she recalled the moment when her neighbours’ daughter escaped the blaze.
The Bapsfontein house which was caught in the firestorm is the home of the Wallendorf family, one of several families in the area who were affected by the fire, which tore through several plots before being subdued.
One of the Wallendorf daughters was the only one at home around 1.30pm on Friday, October 7, when the flames hit the plot, but she escaped unscathed and ran to Parker’s house.
“Two of their dogs came running in with her,” Parker recalled.
Charles Wallendorf, the girl’s father, who does not want his family to be named, said nobody was hurt by the fire, but the family can’t find six of their pets.
Two great Danes, a wire-haired terrier, a chow and two cats are now missing.
“We’re not sure whether or not they survived it, but we’re still looking for them; we want to know if they didn’t make it,” Wallendorf said.
Describing the incident, the father said: “I got a call from my daughter, who was in a complete panic.
“It was a perfect storm situation.
“There was a fire in the veld and, with the strong winds, it spread very fast.
“It was also fuelled by the many dead trees strewn over the ground by the tornado several weeks earlier.
“From what I was told, it reached the wooden structures on the property and eventually the Wendy house near our home caught fire.”
Wallendorf said three cars belonging to the family were caught by the flames and burnt out.
From the car park, the fire eventually touched down on the house itself.
“Within 15 to 20 minutes, there was nothing left,” he added.
“With that kind of fire, there was no chance anything could be saved.
“The house was totalled, there is nothing left.
“The roof had just been re-thatched after the tornado, and then this hit us.”
Parker said: “I was working outside, when I saw thick black smoke coming from the yard of the Wallendorfs’ neighbours.”
“I sent a message to their [Wallendorfs] daughter, who was inside the house, but there was no reply.”
Parker then went inside her home, to call her neighbours’ home via the landline, which is when the daughter ran in.
“I tried to call the fire brigade, but couldn’t get through to the right department,” Parker said.
She then called the neighbourhood watch.
“The fire spread so fast in the strong winds,” Parker added.
“It reached the house and spread around the outside towards us, but the fire department arrived before it could reach our yard.
“In the true spirit of Nest Park, everyone came out to help us.”
Wallendorf was impressed with the response from the community and the fire department.
“The community worked through the entire weekend, helping us quell the fire and ensuring everything was okay,” he said.
“Two of my daughters are now staying with family, while my other daughter and son-in-law are with friends.
Wallendorf and his wife are living in Parker’s home for the time being.
“There was a huge amount of goodwill from everyone in the community,” he concluded.
Also read:
Ten dogs confiscated from property
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