The Marais family, who lost everything after a devastating fire gutted their home, is taking it one day at a time.
The Ranfontein Herald reported on how a fire destroyed the family’s home situated on Bothaplots on September 21. Not only did they lose a home but most of their precious belongings. Initially, no fatalities were reported, however, Bertina Marais informed the Herald that their beloved cat did not make it out alive.
In a follow-up article with Marais, the Herald wanted to know how the family was doing at this stage and how they were coping. Marais said words can not describe what they are going through as a family.
“We don’t have a choice, we just have to [cope], but it is very hard. There are so many things that will never be replaced or that money can’t buy. We are broken about Kitty our cat. She was part of our lives for 11 years,” said Marais who added that they are glad their cat did not burn in the fire.
She added that her children are also finding it difficult to come to terms with what happened.
“They act tough but I can see their mask behind closed doors,” said Marais.
Recapping what happened that day, Marais said that she was informed of the fire by estate agents.
• Also read: Fire guts home on Botha plots: Family stranded
“Our neighbour said he could see smoke coming from the roof above my room. I rushed home immediately and as I came around the bend, there were already a group of people gathered in front of my gate. I opened up and saw at that stage that the fire was only in the roof. I begged the public for help but to no avail.
“We tried to extinguish the fire while waiting for the fire brigade, but after the window burst, the fire started to spread. On top of that, our water pressure was extremely poor. I then saw my children’s rooms starting to burn and realised there was nothing I could do.”
Marais said that they noticed the power go off around midnight that morning.
“It wasn’t load-shedding and no one could advise why it was off. At 7:00, we left the house and still the power was off.”
She added that they feared the worst because of their gas bottle which was refilled just the previous day.
“Fortunately it did not explode.”
Marais suspects the fire was started by a short circuit in the main bedroom’s roof.
The family is currently staying in a house that is up for sale and are they extremely thankful to those reaching out in a time of need.
“We are grateful for the support we have received so far but we are taking it one day at a time. We as a family would also like to thank the 10 people that made cash donations that kept us going and helped us to buy a stove and cupboards for our clothes. Thank you to everyone else who assisted us with things we needed,” said Marais.
