East elderly man survives fire after gas heater explosion
Upon arrival at the house in Lynnwood Glen, firefighters found about seven rooms fully ablaze.
An 83-year-old man survived a fire after a gas heater exploded in his home on Wednesday morning.
Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said the man reported that he had a gas heater on at his home in Lynnwood Glen when he heard an explosion and the fire broke out.
He said firefighters received the call around 08:53 from a member of the public who reported that a house was on fire on Ilkey Street.
“Firefighters could see smoke from a distance while en route to the incident,” he said.
“Upon arrival, they found a house of about seven rooms fully ablaze.”
“They immediately attacked the fire, containing it from spreading to a garage with an SUV in it, as well as a three-roomed unoccupied house opposite the main house.”
Mabaso said firefighters retrieved three gas heaters, each with a 9k gas cylinder from the burning house, one of which was damaged.
The fire badly damaged most of the contents of the house, but the man managed to escaped without any visible injuries.
“Paramedics treated him for smoke inhalation and transported him to a medical facility for further observation,” Mabaso said.
He advised residents to exercise caution when using any form of heating equipment this winter.
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