Blaze leaves single mom and son homeless
Blaze in the heart of winter leaves family with nothing.
A single mother and her son have been left destitute after a blaze broke out in their shack in Toekomsrus.
The blaze occurred this morning (14 June) at approximately 8.30am in Peer Street. The cause of the blaze is unknown but it has been speculated that an electrical short caused the fire.
According to Barry Adams, one of the first responders on the scene, he was called to help put out the blaze. Adams said they put out the entire blaze with one hosepipe.
“When I got here, everyone was trying to call the fire department but most of them were put on hold. The fire department eventually got here 45 minutes later, but by then, we had already put the fire out. When they got here they had such an attitude and were rude to us,” he said.
The fire department would not have come out if the school bus hadn’t been sent out to fetch it,” Adams said.
Once the blaze was put out, Esperanca Sara, owner of the shack, rummaged through her burned belongings to see what she could salvage, and was lucky enough to find her identity document.
Fortunately she was not injured in the blaze. Her 10-year-old son was at school when the fire happened and has a harsh reality waiting for him when he gets home.
Sara and her son will now have to live in the main house on the property, until she can find her feet again.
Jacques Julius, DA MP for Randfontein was on scene and found it unacceptable that the fire department took so long to respond.
Julius added that Disaster Management has donated blankets to the family during their time of need. Julius urges any resident who wishes to help the family with food or clothing to contact him on 083 420 1309.
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