Neighbours who witnessed the start of the fire that gutted a house on Christiaan Beyers Street yesterday, August 26, shared their account of the incident.

Mavis Shabalala feared that the fire would spread to her own home across the street. She explained that the fire started slowly before engulfing the whole roof.

“It was so sad to see. I couldn’t hold back my tears,” Shabalala expressed.

• Read the initial article here: House gutted by fire in Westonaria

Another neighbour, Faith Veldskoen, explained how she tried to get hold of the emergency service when the fire started, about 11:00. She noted that at first the thatch roof was burning, but soon the whole house was engulfed with flames.

@caxton.jhbwest A major blaze nearly destroyed a house in Westonaria, with EMS still on the scene, busy extinguishing what’s left of the fire. #Fire #fyp #Randfonteinfire #randfonteinherald #housefire ♬ original sound – Caxton JHB West 

“I could not get hold of the emergency services. Then I called my mother to help dial for help. By the time the fire department arrived, the smoke was already inside the house, and the windows were demolished,” she said.

Veldskoen added that she saw the owner of the house rescue their two dogs before having to watch the house burn down.

“It’s heartbreaking because this was someone’s home,” Veldskoen expressed.

The tenant of the house was approached for comment by the Randfontein Herald, but chose not to respond during this difficult time.