A Mbombela resident, Farhan Khan (30), escaped mere seconds before his two-storey apartment collapsed after a fire broke out on the property in Drysdale Street yesterday (November 9), reports Lowvelder.

Lowvelder visited the property where Khan lived in a small, two-storey house beside the main residence.

He explained that he shares the property with several other people. He had returned from a business trip to Johannesburg late the previous evening.

Although other media publications reported that the fire had occurred at student accommodation, Lowvelder established through the visit to the property and discussions with the owner that this was not the case.

A narrow escape

With scorched hair and wearing the only clothes he has left, Khan recalled the terrifying moments before the fire.

“I remember wondering if I should sleep upstairs or downstairs, as I sometimes prefer sleeping upstairs depending on how hot it is. I coincidentally decided to sleep downstairs that evening,” he explained.

He heard a ticking sound and initially thought it was an intruder. He then went, where he saw smoke and flames.

He immediately ran downstairs but realised he had left his front-door keys on the second floor. Knowing he would not be able to retrieve them, he called the others on the property, but no one answered their phones.

“I panicked and shouted for help from my window, hoping someone would hear me,” Khan said.

Fortunately, the others heard him and rushed to help him escape. They initially tried to use a rock to break the burglar bars on his window, but struggled. They then tried to force open his door and eventually managed to free him.

“I was so relieved. If I had stayed a second longer, I was going to die,” Khan said.

Firefighters tackle the blaze

Fidelity ADT Lowveld and municipal fire services worked together to extinguish the blaze.

“We had some challenges with water sources, but managed to put it out,” said Zander Bartmann, Fidelity ADT Lowveld’s general manager.

He added that the fire had fully engulfed the back of the structure and that no injuries had been reported.

Khan suspects the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, although the full extent of the damage has yet to be determined.

Relieved to have escaped with his life, Khan has already received support from his colleagues, who provided him with new clothes.

He plans to remain on the property.

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