A FAMILY in Stockville is happy to be alive after escaping a fire that took away their home with most of their belongings. The fire broke out when the family lit a candle during the electricity outages. The community has been engulfed by power outages for the past two months due to cable thefts. The Highway Mail recently reported that residents are frustrated over the outages. Ward 10 councillor Caelee Laing said that, upon their inspection, she discovered there were more than 40 cables that needed to be replaced.

Amith Chattergoon said this was a tragedy for him and his wife and their two children.
“It was around eight in the evening when I had just gotten the laundry off the line outside and put it in the bedroom. A few moments later, I saw the light of the fire coming from the bedroom. I quickly rushed there and tried to go outside to fill the bucket with water, and when I came back, the fire had spread. The children were already asleep then. I had to wake them up so we could try to get the hosepipes, but it was too late,” he said.

Also read: Westville family loses home and everything in it to fire

Chattergoon said he cannot say exactly what started the fire, but the candle was the only thing that could have caused the fire.

The community of Gillitts is working together to help the family rebuild and are asking for more people to jump on board and assist. Pastor Rio Moosa of the Ignite Church in Gillitts extended his gratitude to the community members who have already started assisting the family.

“Our homes are everything to us – a place of shelter and safety. A place where memories are made and life continues. Unfortunately, for our precious Chattergoon family, this changed in a matter of minutes. A special thank you to all the kind souls who assisted our precious Chattergoon family on the night that the tragic fire broke out.

Also read: Community supports home for vulnerable children

“I humbly appeal to you for anything that would help them to rebuild their lives – clothing, building materials, food items, even preloved items. Your contributions, no matter the size, would be greatly appreciated,” he said.

The women’s clothes sizes required for pants/jeans are: 30 and 38; women’s tops: extra small and extra large; shoes: size four. For men’s clothing: pants: 28 and 38; tops: small, medium, and extra large; shoes: size nine.

Their banking details are also as follows:

Bank: FNB
Account name: Preshika Chattergoon
Account number: 62696254532
Branch code: 250655

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