Family loses home in runaway fire

What should have been a day of celebration for Theo Meyer on his 64th birthday, a year before his retirement as a foreman at the Department of Transport, turned into a nightmare of blazing flames.
The Meyers’ house, on the premises of the Department of Transport, caught fire on Friday after a vagrant allegedly set the field next to the park home alight. Theo says they have lived in the house since 2009 and he has complained to the department about safety from 2013, since the house is located next to an open field. The family had previous encounters with vagrants who have broken in and set the field alight. These park homes are approximately 50 years old and the AbaQulusi Fire & Rescue team, together with other community members, could not save the house or the outbuildings. The fire continued to weave a path of destruction further down the field, but the Fire Department and community members managed to contain it.
Sadly, Theo, his wife and their three-and-a-half-month-old baby boy not only lost their home, but all their belongings as well. Theo was at a meeting when the house caught fire, and his wife ran out to safety with their baby. The house was engulfed in flames within a few minutes. The family has the clothes on their backs and their car, which was saved from the fire; everything else was burned to the ground. The family has taken shelter at a family member’s house for the time being.
Anyone who can assist with food, clothing (men’s shirt size XL, pants 42 and women’s dress size 28-30), bedding, kitchenware, blankets, furniture (beds were already donated) and personal hygiene products can contact Christel on 083 771 5487 or Theo on 072 416 9684.
Any and all donations that can help the family get back on their feet are welcome.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.