A fire destroyed the entertainment area of a household on St Helena Road in Northcliff on 6 April at around 6.45 pm.
The family was away at the time the fire occurred and no injuries were reported.
Neighbours noticed the fire and alerted emergency services and tried to stop the fire with buckets of water.
According to neighbour Dave Mcleod, the grandchildren of another neighbour noticed the fire.
“The fire department was contacted, Roosevelt and Randburg Fire Stations did not respond as they said there were no fire engines available. Later, Rosebank and Northriding fire engines responded to stop the fire,” said Mcleod.
The owners of the house, Isabel and Robert Stone, said they were notified by Tracker that their house was on fire.
“We are so grateful that it was only that area that we had lost to the fire and our house is okay.”
Upon their arrival at their house, they saw that it was just their outside entertainment area that had caught alight.
According to Isabel, a 10-year-old girl, who was in the car with her mother driving on Mountainview Road, noticed the fire and notified her mother.The girl’s mother then drove around trying to locate where the fire was coming from. After she found the house, she called the company she works for – Tracker – with the registration number of one of the cars that were parked in the driveway.
“We are extremely grateful to everyone who came together to help, the responding fire stations, ADT and the community. Even though everyone is behind electric fences, the way everyone showed concern gave a sense of community togetherness. However, we are disappointed that the fire engines at Randburg and Roosevelt Fire Stations were not available to assist due their engines being broken down, (not available ),” said Robert Stone.
Ward 88 councillor Pat Richards expressed her relief that no injuries were reported.
“I am glad that no one was hurt and all their animals are okay.”
City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson Nana Radebe said, “The fire engines are not only area-specific, so if there is an emergency in another area and there is a fire engine available, it will go out.”
Ward 98 Councillor Laurette van Zijl urged residents to make themselves aware of the nearest fire hydrants to their houses should an emergency arise.
She also asked residents to take note that the fire hydrants are being checked by the City.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Details:City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) 10177/112.
