A devastating fire that ravaged a house inside Simbithi Eco-Estate late on Thursday evening has left residents shocked and horrified.

It is not yet determined what started the fire, but eyewitness accounts indicated the blaze began shortly after the electricity was restored to Simbithi at about 11pm, following days without power.

At 11:30pm, Volker Grunewald and his wife Diane were jolted out of their bed to the sound of an explosion and distressed residents. They looked across the valley and saw a house engulfed in flames.

“My wife and I woke to a massive commotion outside,” said Grunewald. “We looked across the valley, and a house on fire. People were shouting and screaming. We also heard a mini explosion.

“We did not know if anyone was in the house, so we grabbed our two fire extinguishers and raced around the golf course to the scene,” added Volker. “When we arrived 10 minutes later, there were already two fire engines parked outside.

“Everyone was horrified. I was, however, very impressed at how professional the fire department is, and how they handled the fire. I am happy no one was injured.”

KwaDukuza Fire and Emergency Services Station commander, Ashen Mohanlal, could not confirm what caused the fire. He told The North Coast Courier the blaze must have begun before 11pm. The emergency services were soon notified and arrived at about 11.30pm. Once they put the fire out, they left at 3.30am.

“It was tough because the roof collapsed, and the water was all over the ground floor.”

Volker and Mohanlal both confirmed that the owners were not at home. Fortunately, they had gone to stay in Salt Rock owing to the power outages over the last few days. According to Mohanlal, their two domestic workers were at the home, however, and they called the fire department when they noticed the fire.

“Luckily, no one was injured. It will take a while for the investigation to conclude why the fire started.”

Simbithi, like the rest of the North Coast, has been suffering from power outages since the festive season. The estate did not have stable electricity for five days leading up to the fire..

The Courier has not yet been able to contact the homeowners for comment.

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