Raging inferno destroys family home
Almost a week after the fire broke out, the thatch surrounding the house is still alight and in other places is smoldering.
AN out of control fire break consumed a Shongweni family’s home and burnt it to the ground last Wednesday.
“My fiancé, Andrew Williamson, is a tattoo artist who works from home. He was busy doing a consultation with a customer and noticed a fire coming down the road. The wind was really strong that day and the fire was getting closer to the house. The customer then drove to the team that allegedly started the fire for the fire break and he was told to ‘voetsek’ and they had not started that particular fire,” said Britt Wearing.
Nothing was done by the team and Andrew was forced to watched in vain as the roaring fire crept closer to his thatched home. A week earlier the bush around the property had been cut down but had been left in piles around the property. “Once the fire ignited the bugweed it sparked and the thatch roof caught alight. There’s a large fire hydrant mounted on the back wall in case of emergencies, but the pipes that fed water to the hose had been melted by the blaze from the fire break,” said Wearing.
Williamson immediately contacted his fiancé to let her know the top section of their home was on fire and she urged him to get his tattooing equipment before the flames reached his downstairs studio.
He entered the home a second time to grab the family’s important documents, from IDs and passports to their birth certificates. “At that stage the smoke had engulfed the entire home and when he was rushing from the burning building all he could see was a wall of thick yellow smoke in front of him. It soon became a huge inferno and there was no way he could go back in again,” said Wearing.
Their four children were at school at the time the incident occurred. The family’s bull terrier puppy, Salty, and their grey cat Grey, were saved but the bull python died in the fire.
“The fire department put out the fire at about 5pm and there were five fire trucks on the scene and they said they had used between 80 000 to 100 000 litres of water. We were allowed to go into our room, which was still largely intact to salvage what we could,” said Wearing. She noted that during the course of the week, their building had been looted for any items they had left behind.
“We are doing really well after the incident and both Andrew and myself are living in a bit of a dream world for the last couple of days. It is one hell of a thing to go through but it has been the support from the schools and the community that has really pulled us through this. So thank you to everyone who has offered us their support during this terrible time,” said Wearing.
For the record
In the article, Blaze destroys family home (Highway Mail, week ending 22 August) the contact number was incorrectly printed. If you would like to donate any goods to the family who lost all of their belongings when their house burnt down, contact Navashnie on 084 563 6405.
I spoke to Dad today. They are overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone. He advised that at this stage they have sufficient clothes, bedding and kitchen goodies. When asked what they still needed, he advised the following: Books shelves, gardening equipment, toy and games (sons are 5, 14 and 15 and daughter is 12), books, bathroom curtains, kitchen curtains, lunch boxes, mats, rugs, study desks for children, work desk for dad, music system, toaster, tools, a drill, colendar, hangers. We are sure with the continued generosity of the community, we will have this little family on their feet again soon. Thank You for caring and sharing.
In sympathy for what happened to this family, as it should not happen to anyone… But I just need to ask a question out of curiosity… Did the owners of the house, not call the Fire Department, when they saw the fire burning from the other house, and knowing that the fire was heading in their direction?.. I’m sure if this was done, the fire could have been under control, before it spread further.. And why has the Fire Department not been to put out the smouldering that is still burning?..Anyone know if this did happen?
Hi April, my name is Britt and it was our house that burnt down. No, Andy did not call the fire department when he saw the fire coming down the hill, because he only noticed it when was it was close to the house and coming down the hill (he was inside busy with a consult), but his customer did go to the fire-team to tell them their fire was out of control – when they refused to do anything. Its not like he stood there watching it travel from the top of the road and did nothing. He only realised when it was close to the house. The amount of time that it took for the fire to reach our house was so quick as there was a westerly pumping on that day. Once he phoned the fire department, they took a very long to arrive as there were four other fires in the upper highway area,so although he phoned them as it sparked, by the time they got there, half the house was already burnt down. Andy tried his best to put out the fire, which started very small, but the fire hydrant pipes were burnt as we later found that they had been laid above the ground, and not under.
Furthermore, the people doing the fire breaks were not meant to be doing fire breaks on that day as the wind was pumping, there had been a National Fire Warning for that day, they did not inform us prior to burning on the neighboring property that they were doing fire breaks (they were meant to let us know) and they were meant to have a backup fire truck on the scene in case the fire did get out of control, which they did not have. All that they had was little backpacks spray bottles. I lived in Curries Post for five years and there are controls that need to be in place when burning fire breaks.
The fire department did come back to the property the following day to put out the fire, but when the journalist arrived on the 01st September, it was smoldering again. The entire inside of the house was made of wood and had a massive thatch roof.
I can assure you, we were helpless. It was not like Andy was sitting watching it come down the road from the top and doing nothing; he was with a customer and only noticed it when it was close to the house and coming down the road and as I said, tried to put out the small flame, but had no chance with the pumping westerly and the fire hydrant that didn’t work. May I remind you that we lost EVERYTHING.
The fire break was started on the neighboring property, which was behind our house and spread out of control. We are not at fault, as there were many witnesses to what happened that day.
I hope that answers your question.
That day there were Berg winds as well. I dont think anyone in their right mind would stand and watch there house burning down. If you have ever seen a house burning down there is not much you can acutally do, but watch it burn down. This family lost all there photo albums, memorabilia and many things of sentimental value. The fire was started by a government department and did not come from another house burning. the wind suddenly changed direction and since the house is thatch. Duh?????? Nothing not even the fire department wouldve been able to save that house. Shongweni Valley is quite a way down and there was no way the fire department wouldve got there in time even if it had been reported. a fire is very unpredictable specially in scorching hot weather and Berg winds. Some people should really get a life and get their facts right before assuming or trying to act like detectives. I bet if it had happened to them they would’ve thought twice before making such assumptions. A Britt says there were other fires around as well and who would predict that their house would burn down. It just happens. Thank goodness no one was hurt. I am sure that on that specific day and heat there was absoultely no control on veld fires. So i am sure that there was no way that that house burning down could have been prevented. not on a day when there were not supposed to be fires burning!!!!!!!
“Due to the dry and windy conditions prevailing ahead of the cold front over much of the South African interior regions, including the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, North-West as well asthe eastern parts of Northern Cape, an extremely high fire danger rating is anticipated over the above- mentioned areas on Wednesday, 27 August 2014. Given such extreme conditions, the public are urged not to light fires in the open or to discard lit matches or cigarette butts.”