Fire guts home on Botha plots: Family stranded

A family is left devastated after having lost everything when their house at the Botha plots burnt to the ground.

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This was at about 11:00 on September 21. At this stage, it is suspected that the fire started with an electrical fault in the roof.

The Randfontein Herald spoke to Pertina Marais who said she is thankful that she and her family were not home at the time of the fire. They are renting the house from a local estate agent.

“I got a call from one of our neighbours who informed me that smoke was coming out of my house and that’s when I decided to rush home. Upon arrival, the smoke resulted in a fire. It started in our main bedroom and as we were trying to put it out, the windows burst and the fire started spreading to other areas in the house,” said an emotional Marais.

She added that they had spent hours without electricity the night before the fire. According to Marais electricity went out at 20:00 in their neigbourhood and only came back at around 09:00 the following day (September 21).

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According to Marais, they had left their house with all their appliances switched off, including their hair appliances. As it stands, the family needs help from local businesses and community members at large.

They need help in the form of clothes for their children aged 16, 13, and 11 years and they wear shoe sizes 7, 10, and 6 respectively. The eldest is a learner at Hoërskool Riebeeckrand and the two young ones are at Laerskool Randfontein.

Anyone who seeks to help the family financially can contact them on 060 821 4954.