Elana Williams and Patrick Matthews were woken on Tuesday morning by screams of a neighbour whose house was being broken into.
They rushed to help the neighbour but when they returned home, the siblings’ shacks were engulfed in flames.
“We suspect it is the same people who tried to break in because when we distracted the thieves, they targeted our place,” Matthews said.
Williams said that although they tried to douse the fire with water, nothing helped until the fire brigade arrived.
“We think our homes might have been thrown with a petrol bomb,” Williams said.
The siblings lived in separate shacks in one yard and lost all their belongings.
Williams also lives with her husband and two children who all went to help their neighbour.
“Everything is gone. My children’s school books, uniforms and birth certificates. I don’t know where we are going to sleep tonight, the only clothing I have left is what I’m wearing. How do we start rebuilding our lives?” Williams said.
The family is appealing for assistance in any form.
Sijourney Baker or Natasha Phillips can be reached on 073 625 1098 or 072 807 3665 for donations.
