BOPHELONG – Smoke bellowed in the sky as raging flames ripped through a two-room shack in Bophelong Extension 7.
The devastating event which took place on Tuesday, August 13, left a young mother devastated and the community reeling in shock.
This is after scores of residents watched as men scrambled onto the roof attached to the burning shack, forming a human chain to pass buckets of water in a desperate bid to save the Pieterse’s family belongings.
According to Ella Pieterse – shack owner, she was a stone’s throw away running her corner business when she was called to the scene moments after her home caught fire.
Racing back, the 42-year-old mother could only watch in horror as flames consumed everything she owned.
The blaze, intensified by strong August winds, proved unstoppable despite the desperate efforts of dozens of neighbours.
For thirty unbearable minutes, the community battled the inferno with water and soil, fighting against the wind that only seemed to make matters worse.
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, a heartbroken Pieters revealed that she lost everything, including crucial documents and her child’s schoolbooks.
“I’m left with nothing. Everything I had is gone,” she said.
One of the local heroes, Morena Mashifane described how he was drawn to the scene by the gloomy sight of thick black smoke rising into the sky.
“I saw the smoke and knew something was terribly wrong. I ran towards the shack and joined in with the others to try and stop the fire, but the wind made it so difficult,” he said, still shaken by the events.
As the fire finally died down, the shack was reduced to smouldering debris, and ash with minor smoke continuing to rise from the ruins.
