A Diepkloof Zone 6 family lost its recently refurbished house in a fire accident, which they believe was caused by a gas heater.
The family is currently pleading for any form of assistance. No one was injured, however, Jabulisile Mtsweni who is the eldest daughter says that her parents, 64-year-old father, and 58-year-old mother were in the house when the incident happened and that left them traumatised.
She said that the fire was caused by a gas heater she had switched on to keep her father who just came out of a coma warm since they did not have electricity for a couple of days.
“We did not electricity for the few days and on that day, Tuesday, August 17, I switched on the gas heater, in my parents’ room to keep my father warm since he just came back from the hospital and was in a coma to be precise and he suffers from a chronic disease. While I was outside my house, I saw some light coming from my parents’ room I think that’s when the gas was causing the explosion and I thought it was electricity coming back,” said Mtsweni.
When she realised that it was not electricity but her parents’ room was engulfed in flames, she quickly ran in and found her mother pulling her father out of the room to save him.
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“Luckily some of our neighbors and residents from around came to our rescue, to help us safe my parents because their life is much more important than any other thing that was burning in the house, which can be replaced. Then the fire covered all parts of the house and was even threatening to cover our next-door neighbour’s house, it was so sad just watching my home burning to ashes with nothing left to safe. Our clothes, my father’s medication, our blankets, the house itself it was recently renovated and we lost all that,” she said.
The fire department was contacted but the community did not wait for them to arrive, they utilised what they had to extinguish the fire and by the time the fire department arrived, the fire was already extinguished.
“The fire was extinguished with the help of the community, but unfortunately my home is left with ashes, my sister who stays in Protea Glen, took my parents and I am currently staying at a family friend’s house,” said Mtsweni.
The family has been receiving phone calls of people offering to assist, and even though it might not amount to the type of material they used in their refurbished house, they would appreciate any form of assistance, especially with building material. Mtsweni said that her parents are not coping with the situation and they might need some form of counseling for the trauma they went through.
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