Family home lost to flames
A fire razed a family home in Kuiseb Street in Mokopane to the ground early Monday morning July 31. The house was consumed by flames within hours.
The family of six, which includes the grandmother, her daughter, and grandchildren, the youngest of whom is a year old, was left with nothing after the fire destroyed all they had. According to the grandmother, who wishes not to be named, caring neighbours currently provide them with a place to stay. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
According to her, the fire started at around 04:30 and they frantically called for help.
“Our neighbours tried their best to douse the fire. The fire fighters didn’t arrive for a long time even though we kept on phoning,” she said.
According to Elita Wiid of the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), who was on the scene, the fire brigade arrived only when the house had already burnt down.
“They arrived with a bakkie with a water tank and pressure hose, which was no match for the flames,” she said.
Working on Fire was also called to come and help douse the flames.
Die Pos heard that the firefighters had problems with the fire truck that wouldn’t start and thereafter with the water supply from the fire hydrants. This could, however, not be confirmed with officials by the deadline on Wednesday, August 2. Some eyewitnesses said that the firefighters gave their best with the equipment they had on hand.
In a statement, the FF Plus laid the blame for the late response at the door of the Waterberg District Municipality. According to the party, the damage to the house would’ve been less if there was a timely response.
The FF Plus spokesperson said that during an oversight visit a week before by their councilor in the district municipality, Karel Niewenhuis, only one staff member was on duty at the fire station. Following the visit, they warned that the firefighters will not be able to act quickly and effectively if a fire broke out.
The fire station in Mokopane resorts under the Waterberg District Municipality. Die Pos reached out for comment on the matter but has not received a response by the deadline. Any comment from the district will be published in next week’s edition.
