Prayer candle burns down house
It is reported that the source of the fire was a candle which had been brought into the home by owner Buhle Dlamini (76), who got it from his church
A SMALL child was fortunate to survive after being rescued from a burning house at the H2 section in Qhakaza Street, in eSikhaleni last Saturday night.
It is reported that the source of the fire was a candle which had been brought into the home by owner Buhle Dlamini (76), who got it from his church.
According to his daughter Ntombifuthi, her father went to his church to attend a prayer meeting and decided to bring back a prayer candle to light in the house.
‘He lit it on Friday night and remembered to blow it out before going to bed.
‘But on Saturday night he forgot to blow it out and went to watch television in the sitting room.
‘At that time my mother was in the shower and we were in the bedroom next to theirs and were not aware of what was unfolding.
‘We didn’t know anything until we heard someone banging the gate, shouting at us.
‘They were our neighbours who saw the flames and smoke from the house and wanted to alert us, but did not enter the yard because they were scared of our dogs.
‘I went back into the house to grab my four-year-old child before going back for other important stuff inside, and I drove to the fire station to seek help.
‘They responded immediately, but it was too late because my parents’ bedroom and the garage had already been gutted by the fire.
‘A lot of belongings, including furniture and documents such as ID books and SASSA cards, were already consumed by the fire,’said Ntombifuthi.
Ward 21 councillor, Sammuel Mthembu, said firefighters, assisted by the neighbours, succeeded in stopping the fire before it spread to other rooms.
‘I urge all households to ensure that there’s a fire extinguisher in the home to help slow the spread of the blaze until the fire department arrives,’ said Mthembu.
Anyone who can assist the pensioners to rebuild their house or provide building material, clothes and blankets, can call Cllr Mthembu on 082 5830163.
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