Community pulls together to assist house fire victims
The mother and daughter had just moved to Edleen from Vereeniging.
MAGGIE Cullum (51) and her daughter Charlotte Kirkpatrick (13) had been living in Kempton Park for less than a month when the cottage they were living in burnt to the ground on Wednesday evening last week.
The mother and daughter had just moved to Edleen from Vereeniging. It was Kirkpatrick, a grade eight learner’s third day at her new school, Hoërskool Jeugland.
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“I work in Edenvale and have been travelling to work for the past three years. After an accident in March I decided we should move closer,” explained Cullum.
Cullum said they were sleeping in their rented cottage on the corner of Green Avenue and Okkerneut Street when the fire broke out just before 11pm.
“We had load shedding that evening from 8pm to 10pm. Charlotte was doing her homework with a candle in her room. She then came to my room and wanted to sit with me in my bed and we fell asleep,” Cullum said.
Kirkpatrick was awakened by the smell of smoke just after 10.30pm and went to her room to find it was ablaze. She woke her mother up.
“She told me her room was on fire and I just said, come let’s go, there was smoke everywhere.”
Mother and daughter ran to the door and tried to get out the house as quickly as possible.
One of the doors was locked and Cullum broke the window with her fist and put her daughter through the window to open it from the outside. After safely making it outside, the two-bedroom cottage soon went up in flames with all of Cullum and her daughter’s belongings.
Cullum said the only thing they managed to salvage from the blaze had been the clothes on their back and her car, which had been pushed out of the yard by CPF, security company officers and members of the public.
“I think we just made it out. We can be thankful to God for our lives,” a relieved Cullum stated.
The two escaped with minor injuries and were treated for smoke inhalation at Tembisa Hospital.
“We are doing okay, we do have those moments of sadness but we’re fine,” she added.
Cullum is in awe at the willingness of Kemptonians to assist her and her daughter.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, I’ve never even heard of it where people from a community are willing to assist a total stranger. I am very grateful,” she said.
The response had been overwhelming but more was still needed, said Edleen community member, Ansie Conradie, who is responsible for collecting donations as part of a community initiative that was started by resident Emsie Mc Killop.
Cullum would like to thank every person who has assisted them thus far, including community members, emergency services, security companies, CPFs and even the doctor who treated their abrasions.
If you would like to make a donation to the mother and daughter, you may contact Conradie on 082-874-8836.
