Family loses everything in a shack fire

A family near Kromdraai Cemetery has no place they can call home after their shack burned down.

According to Mr Christopher Madala Mthombeni the shack burned down on Sunday, January 29 at about 16:00. While Mr Mthombeni was not at home at the time of the incident, he had left his wife and three children at home.

The burned down shack near Kromdraai Cemetery, the fire was started by a three year-old boy who was playing with matches.

The youngest child who is three years old was playing with matches and a packet of toilet tissues caught fire which later spread all over the house.

“My son after seeing that the fire was spreading in the room escaped through a window and went outside and was so scared even to tell his mother or two sisters who were in the other room of the house,” explained Mr Mthombeni.

The inside of the Mthombeni shack near Kromdraai Cemetery which burned down on Sunday at about 16:00.

Neighbours alerted the mother that the house was on fire while the fire had spread very fast. It is suspected that the reason for the fire spreading so fast was because there were gas stoves and three generators inside the house. At one stage the gas stoves exploded and the neighbours were very scared to get closer.

Mr Mthombeni said they lost everything in the fire from their furniture, a television, clothes and important documents like ID’s, SASSA cards, birth certificates and other documents.

Some of the items that were left after the Mthombeni shack burned down at about 16:00 on Sunday, January 29

A car which was parked near the shack was also burned in the back window; one side and the interior were also damaged. Car batteries which were inside the house were burned as well since Mr Mthombeni is a motor mechanic.

“We lost everything and we are left with nothing, we have to start from scratch. The value of the damaged things in the house is estimated to be more or less R25 000. We hope our councillor will help us as promised,” added Mr Mthombeni.

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