• Marlene Ramautar from Roodepoort, writes:
“On Wednesday evening, July 26 what was a regular drive home turned into a traumatic ordeal when my car caught fire. This terrifying event took place at about 18:15 on Paul Kruger Road. While driving I smelled the scent of smoke, not realising where it came from, I continued to drive in peak hour traffic. Still being observant of the smell of smoke, I noticed a few minutes later that smoke was coming out from under the bonnet. I immediately switched off the ignition and jumped out of the car. To my surprise, my car was already on fire. I ran back to my car frantically to grab my phone. I screamed for help and tried to flag down other motorists to assist me but nobody stopped initially. Some people were afraid to stop after noticing my car was on fire which was understandable. Two gentlemen were walking past that reached out to me. One of them tried to scoop some sand in his hand to put out the fire, but that didn’t help. I quickly tried to get some of my belongings out of the boot and back seat and the selfless men helped me. The flames spread so rapidly that we didn’t attempt to remove anything from the front of the car. I’m grateful to these gentlemen for being there at the time with me.
At this point, I stood there feeling so helpless and panicked watching my car burn when another Good Samaritan, Tdrinda Woods stopped by to help me. She tried to call out for help as well as communicate with my husband who was out of town on business. Being so far away at the time, he managed to call family and friends to come to my rescue. At the same time, Tdrinda tried to keep me calm as I had a panic attack. She was such an amazing person and although she had to leave for an appointment she did not want to leave me alone in that distressed state so she called her parents to come to my aid through that terrifying episode. Her dad Gordon Woods and his wife are truly kind-hearted people who comforted and held me as I watched my car blow up in flames. They stayed with me until my family and friends arrived on the scene.
Residents from the nearby complex rushed out to offer me their support and showed so much empathy towards me. Hannetjie Langhout was a humble and incredible lady who constantly reminded me of how fortunate I was to escape that horrific ordeal. She made me feel so loved and safe every time she hugged me. I will never forget the care she showed me. Another kind-hearted generous lady named Leigh Northfield brought a hot cup of tea for me and a baby blanket. Thankfully my little one was not with me but bystanders saw his car seat on the roadside and panicked that he was in the middle of that terrifying ordeal. Leigh’s generosity will never be forgotten. I was so grateful that my precious children were not in the car with me. I thanked God for sparing them from this harrowing ordeal. I’m blessed to have escaped this and was not harmed in any way but did not realise the emotional shock this was going to have on me.
To the individual who stepped out of your car and tried to put out the fire with your fire extinguisher, although the flames were too high at that point, you were noticed for your bravery and act of kindness. I can’t thank everyone enough for their courage and compassion. It was terrifying but their selflessness made all the difference to me.
Families and friends rushed over through the peak traffic to get to me. They tried to console me as I cried watching the flames engulf my car like a scene straight out of an action movie. I could not believe what my eyes were seeing at that moment. A car is materialistic and can be replaced but witnessing my car burn that way after 10 years was truly heartbreaking. My car had sentimental value to me. I bought it from a dealership in KZN in 2013 and en route to fetch it, I had an unfortunate accident in which I underwent 9 surgeries. My surgeon advised at the time that I would not be able to drive a manual car again and that I should upgrade to an automatic. After 7 months of recovery, I finally drove my car for the first time and had no regrets about upgrading to an automatic. I was thankful for all the mileage my car has given me and all the places it took me creating ever-lasting memories. I can’t explain what I felt at that moment, I was completely shattered watching my car being taken away from me in such a dreadful way.
I’m so grateful for CGFA Firefighters who arrived on the scene within minutes of being called, By the time they arrived my car was fully engulfed but they had the fire contained within 15 minutes and out within 30 minutes. Further, thanks go out to First Help which made the necessary arrangements to remove my car from the scene. To Emer-G-Med for attending to my medical needs at the time and advising my family to prepare me for the shock after trauma. Thank you to Hannelie from CPF victim support who left a meeting to attend to me. Your presence made me feel so valued and supported. A huge thank you to all of you phenomenal people and the outstanding work you do for our community.
This was an incredibly traumatising situation to be in and I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for the support you provided during my challenging time. You have been so remarkable and left a print in my heart. I’m proud to be a part of this beautiful community. I see you all as Heroes to me. Your fearlessness and bravery in this situation will be remembered forever.
I don’t wish for anyone to go through this ordeal. This scary incident serves as a reminder of staying vigilant while driving as emergencies can strike unexpectedly. If you see smoke or flames, turn off your ignition immediately as this stops the fuel supply to the fire. Move a safe distance away from your vehicle. If you have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it, attempt to put off the fire from a safe distance. Aim the extinguisher at the base of the flames and not directly at the fire. Call the firefighting professionals to handle the situation. CGFA Firefighters shared these contact details on social media, please save them onto your phones. You will never know when you will need to call them for yourself or to help someone else in a similar situation.
For fire-related emergencies, you can contact Jono on 073 951 2988, Anton on 071 471 0759 or Kyle on 060 801 7139. The team is expertly trained to assist with fire-related emergencies and well-equipped to ensure rapid intervention.
