Fire on roof allegedly caused by Chinese paper lantern
A woman alone at home escaped danger due to the bravery of three young boys.
Diana van Dyk, a resident of Casseldale, was having a relaxing evening on Monday when shouting suddenly alerted her to danger at 9.30pm.
Three teenage boys and a girl was driving past the house when they spotted the flames coming from the house.
van Dyk says the three boys shouted at her to get out of the house because the roof was on fire.
“I couldn’t think what to take so I grabbed my cellphone and ran out the door where the fire happened to be,” says van Dyk.
The teenagers took quick action in extinguishing the fire.
van Dyk was alone at home at the time and says if it wasn’t for the three boys who acted quickly in alerting her and putting the fire out, she suspects the house would have burned down as the wooden beams of the roof were already starting to burn.
The boys alerted the Casseldale Community Police Forum (CPF) that was quick on the scene, but the fire was already taken care of.
The CPF then alerted the fire department which also arrived on the scene.
van Dyk and her daughters later picked up a torched Chinese paper lantern where the fire started.
“We definitely think this was the cause of the fire and we also heard there were people in the area who were using paper lanterns, but we are not sure who they were or where the lantern originated from,” she says.
van Dyk says it is rare these days to find young people who are willing to help and who does good.
“Thank you so much to these young boys for helping me and even preventing what could have been a disaster.”
The emergency services could not be reached for comment at this time.
