Load-shedding and no water results in fire gutting Durnacol home
The Dube family has now called on the community to assist them in fixing the severely damaged roof of the home. Any other help would also be welcomed.
Load-shedding and a shoddy water supply have been blamed after a fire gutted a young mother’s Durnacol home in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Londiwe Dube (26) described how she had gone to bed at around 20:30, as it was cold and load-shedding was between 17:00 and 21:00. She had her two children with her, aged 3 and 7, and was awoken after midnight with smoke enveloping her room.
“I was asleep when the power came back on, but neighbours later told me that when the electricity came back, the lights were flickering off and on and this could have started the fire,” Londiwe said.
She tried opening her bedroom door but failed, so she then decided to get out through a bedroom window with her two children.
“There was no water in Durnacol, so we could not even fight the fire and the flames just grew bigger.”
She called the fire brigade, which allegedly took an hour to arrive.
“If there had been water, the neighbours and I could have at least quelled the fire, but we could not.
“By the time the fire brigade did arrive, the kitchen and living room were already ruined.” The Dannhauser community has handed over a formal petition to Amajuba District Municipality, objecting to the water crisis that has plagued the town for months.
The Dube family has now called on the community to assist them in fixing the severely damaged roof of the home.
Any other help would also be welcomed.
Londiwe can be contacted on 079 474 1119.
