Pre-dawn blaze devastates Mangena home, aid needed
Nine members of a Phalaborwa family lost clothes, uniforms and books in a house fire, leaving them in urgent need of help.
PHALABORWA – Tragedy struck the Mangena family in the early hours of Sunday morning, September 7, when their five-roomed home partially burnt down, leaving nine family members shaken and the children without school uniforms, clothes, and books.
The fire, which began at approximately 04:45, caused significant damage, particularly to the children’s belongings, and has left the family appealing to the community for urgent assistance. No one was injured in the fire.
“My children went to school without wearing their uniforms. The painful part is that I am no longer working, and no one else in the household is employed,” said Christopher Mangena, the father.
He added that he was not at home when the fire started but rushed back immediately after receiving a call that his home was on fire. According to Helina Mangena, the daughter, the fire started in the living room near the TV plugs.
“I was sleeping when my fan turned off, and I started smelling smoke. I thought it was a power outage, but when I checked through the window, the lights outside were still on. When I opened my door, I saw smoke from the passage, and there was fire coming from the living room. I immediately woke everyone up, and we managed to contain the fire with the buckets of water that we had, but the living room partially burnt down,” Helina explained.
She added that as the family was standing outside, the fire reignited in the boys’ bedroom, worsening the situation. “We tried to contain it with assistance from our neighbours and called the emergency firefighters, who responded swiftly,” she said.
One bedroom was destroyed, including all the boys’ school uniforms, clothes, and books, while two other bedrooms and the living room were partially damaged.
The family is now appealing to the public for urgent support.
Christopher shared the specific needs of his children, describing the school clothes and shoes required for each child.
- For the 8-year-old boy, the family needs navy blue trousers (size 5-6), a white shirt (size 6-7), and shoes (size 1).
- The 11-year-old boy requires black trousers (size 11), a yellow shirt (size 11), and shoes (size 5).
- The 16-year-old boy needs a navy-blue pair of trousers (size 34), a sky-blue shirt (size 16), and shoes (size 8).
- The 20-year-old boy requires a navy-blue pair of trousers (size 32), a sky-blue shirt (size 14), and shoes (size 11).
Contact Christopher at 072 816 1778 for more information.
