The alarm bells rang for neighbours when they saw smoke streaming from the roof and windows of a neighbour’s house in Hampton Drive on Saturday evening. They immediately realised that the house was on fire and that one of their neighbours might be trapped inside her house.
The concerned neighbours jumped into action in an attempt to rescue the elderly Anne Marie van Leeuwen from her home on the evening of 16 July.
They contacted the fire brigade, ambulance and the police and informed them about the crisis. While emergency services were still on their way, the neighbours decided to do what they could to ensure Van Leeuwen’s safety.
One of her neighbours, Jan de Jonge was the first person who arrived on the scene to help Van Leeuwen who was trapped inside her house.
De Jonge said he was alarmed when he noticed the house was on fire and immediately alerted his wife to get help before he ran to the burning house on the opposite side of the street. He saw that the living room was on fire but then realised that Van Leeuwen had managed to escape to her room, which was not on fire but full of smoke.
“A lady who stays on the property opened the gate for me and I immediately tried to locate Anne Marie, who was trapped in the house. I tried to gain access to the residence by breaking a window, but I could not get past the burglar bars. That is how I cut my hand. I also dislocated my leg on the stairs. It was very dark,” said De Jonge.
De Jonge added that the fire brigade arrived shortly afterwards and other neighbours managed to pull Van Leeuwen from her room. The fire brigade was on the scene within minutes and extinguished the fire.
Resident, Sifiso Langa, was alerted about the incident on a WhatsApp group and responded immediately by heading to the house.
“The main problem was getting access to Anna Marie who was trapped behind burglar bars. Along with the help of the Andile Andiswa Security members, we managed to break the security barrier that leads into the sitting room. I managed to get inside her room and rescue her. I commend the great work done by the security company to ensure her safety,” explained Langa.
The injured Van Leeuwen was then rushed to the Milpark Hospital after suffering smoke inhalation and burn wounds. She was later put on life support.
Last night (17 July) Van Leeuwen was still receiving treatment in a special burns unit at Milpark. Due to the high risk of infection, nobody was allowed to visit her. Northcliff Melville Times is still waiting for comment from the hospital.
Follow this story for updates on all the other heroes who played a vital role to help save Van Leeuwen’s life.
