Veld fire causes havoc in Struisbult
Struisbult resident Christina Michaels (50) almost lost her car in a fire last Sunday (May 17).
Michaels explains she was taking an afternoon nap when, at about 3pm, she smelled something burning.
She left her three-year-old granddaughter Thando Motswene in the house, and rushed outside to investigate.
Michaels saw flames underneath her car – a Mercedes Benz A160 – which was parked in the yard, and started screaming for help.
“No one heard and there was no one to help me,” she says.
She doused the flames with water from the garden hosepipe, and eventually managed to extinguish the fire before it caused any damage.
Michaels then moved her car and tried to assess where the fire started.
“There is a piece of open veld next to my house, and I looked over the wall to see the grass was completely burned,” she says.
“Somehow the fire spread to my yard and almost set my car alight.”
Michaels explains she and her husband Johannes Motswene (57) moved to Struisbult only two weeks ago, and she feels the area may be dangerous.
“There was no one around when I needed help, I didn’t know what to do or who to call,” she says.
Michaels urges residents to not start veld fires, as they can be dangerous to people living in the vicinity.
