Fire damages Pinetown family home

A PINETOWN family is still trying to come to terms with a the damage done to their home following a fire which tore through the house.

The Cele family said they believe the fire that gutted their four-bedroom house on Wednesday, January 19, may have started in one of the bedrooms.

ALSO READ: Cliffdale family loses everything in devastating fire

“It still feels unreal but I have slowly started to accept the situation, I have told myself that this is a hurdle that we have to face,” said home owner, Themba Cele.

Recalling the terrible ordeal, Cele told the Highway Mail that he received a call from his wife around noon. “I was at work when she called. Driving home, I was calm, I did not think the worst,” he said.

ALSO READ: Fire safety precaution tips

The 52-year-old arrived home, to find fire extinguishers and an ambulance. He said he immediately felt tears filling his eyes, but as the head of home, he had to stay strong for his family. Cele said that they bought the house in 2010, after renting in smaller flats for some time.

“That was a huge step up and a beautiful proud moment. So seeing all our hard work turning into ashes has left us with a deep scar, it hurts,” he sighed.

The family was grateful that no one was injured during this ordeal, “My wife was preparing to go to work, the bathtub is still filled with water which she was going to use to bath.

“We have three young sons, one is 11 and twins aged 10 who were at school that day. It was their first day back at school and we are so relieved that they were not at home, I dread the thought of what may have happened if they were around.

ALSO READ: Otto Volek Road opened after devastating fire

“We also reside with our two eldest daughters who are in their 20s,” he said. All the family bedrooms were completely destroyed, the furniture from the other rooms has also been damaged by the water which was used to put out the fire.  

Despite all his heartache, Cele highlighted the help they received from the community.

“It is overwhelming, the community has been so supportive and helpful since the day of the incident. We are so thankful, we are truly grateful,” he said.

Cele also thanked the people who donated after a plea went out in our of the radio stations.

“Our families have also been supportive during this trying time,” he added.

Anyone who wish the assist the family can contact, Themba Cele on 083 748 8123.  

Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.