WATCH: Flames several metres high destroy lapa in Birchleigh
Luckily, the fire did not spread to the home and no one was injured.
A Birchleigh family’s lapa was engulfed by flames on Sunday evening, following a gas cylinder explosion.
Footage supplied to Express by local crime patrollers SecPros, who were on the scene first, shows several metre high flames at the home on Limba Avenue. More than half of the grass covering the thatched roof was already gone, with only the structure showing.
Had it not been for a young boy who saw the fire, matters might have been much worse.
“My son told me something was burning,” a neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, told Express.
“I thought he was imagining things, but then we saw the fire.”
The woman alerted the homeowners. They did not wish to speak to Express.
According to William Ntladi, spokesperson for Ekurhuleni emergency services, firefighters from Kempton Park Fire Station arrived on the scene at 11pm to find the thatch roof had collapsed.
“Active firefighting was initiated to extinguished visible flames and cool off all hot spots,” Ntladi said. He added that it was not yet clear what started the fire, but it caused a gas cylinder to explode. The explosion released flammable gas, which enhanced the fire.
Luckily, the fire did not spread to the home and no one was injured.
“During winter, many people leave braai stands and fireplaces unmonitored,” Ntladi said. “Due to strong winds and the release of gasses, structures are burnt and lives often lost.”
He urged the community to memorise emergency numbers. “This can save properties and lives.”
These numbers are:
011 458 0911 (Life-threatening emergency line) or 0860 54 3000 (Non-life-threatening emergency line).
