All that remains is charcoal after fire in Sophiatown

It took three firetrucks and a score of firemen to contain the blaze that destroyed two Sophiatown homes on 20 August.

Two families lost all their home possessions in the destructive fire.

Randall Carlz, who rents one of the homes in Johannes Street, said he had instinctively decided to make a stop at home that afternoon. “I don’t know why I came,” he said.

“When I arrived home, the woman next door was sitting on the wall saying, ‘Don’t go in, the place is burning’. My place was still clear but within minutes the fire engulfed it too.”

The homes are blackened inside – the roofs were blasted open by the flames, and the only trace of two families’ possessions are blackened charcoal.

“The flames from the fire were so high that they were coming out of the roof,” Steve van Zyl, who lives in the street, said.

Carlz is philosophical about losing all his possessions. “Life happens,” he said.

“What can we do?”

Carlz’ neighbour Ferdi Joubert helped him rescue his dogs while his home was burning. “The smoke was so bad you couldn’t see the house from the street, but we rescued them,” Carlz said.

The dogs are living in Joubert’s yard for the moment.

The other family’s cat was allegedly scorched to death. The family was too distraught to speak.

Sophiatown Police and the fire brigade were on the scene quickly and managed to extinguish the fire. Firemen said it took about 45 minutes to douse the blaze.

A fireman was injured in the fire and was taken to Netcare Garden City Hospital immediately.

A fire department spokesperson said the cause of the fire is still unknown. An electrical fault is suspected, but they still need to conclude their investigations.