Centurion family home up in smoke
“The cause of the fire is suspected to be a possible electrical fault, as it was found that no-one was using a heater at the time”
“Where is my dog?” was all the four-year-old son of the Botha family from Valhalla in Centurion, whose home burned down on Monday morning, wanted to know.
This as the family walked through the rubble and tried to pick up the pieces of what was left after the fire.
Early on Monday morning, a neighbour called Gustav Botha to tell him that his house in Falun Road was up in flames and that he should rush home immediately.
When Botha arrived at his house at around 07:15 after a 27 kilometre drive back home, emergency services were already on the scene and Good Samaritan neighbours were already helping to carry out what was left in the house.
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Various emergency services, including Cert-SA, Tshwane emergency service management and Netcare 911 responded to the call-out for the fire.
“I have lived in this house for 39 years. I grew up here,” a devastated Botha told Rekord.
It was when Rekord visited the Bothas after the fire that the youngest son wanted to know where his dog was.
“He’s in heaven,” Botha answered, while walking through the burnt house.
Botha’s wife, Marischa, said she was still sleeping when she was woken up by her youngest son’s screams.
“When I woke up, I immediately smelled smoke.”
She said she tried to extinguish the fire, but couldn’t.
“The flames just grew bigger and bigger.”
At this point, she realised she had to get out of the house.
Marischa then grabbed her three children (aged 4, 9 and 11) and made their way to the front door, where they managed to escape the fire. Fortunately, the two sons slept in the living room the previous night.
“Ouma” Marina Botha, who lives in the cottage on the property, opened the gate for them to escape the burning house.
“As they came running out of the house, Marischa yelled that I should phone someone,” said “Ouma” Botha.
One of the sons’ bedroom and everything in it was burnt. The fire also started to spread through the roof and damage could been seen throughout the entire house.
Most of the items in the house, from the furniture to clothes and appliances, were damaged either by the flames or smoke.
Botha said a lot of property of sentimental value were damaged or lost in the fire.
One of the family’s two dogs was also killed in the fire.
Botha thanked the community for their help and support.
“When I arrived at the burning house, I could barely get into my own house with all the people who jumped in and helped.”
According to Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso, there were no “active flames” when they arrived at the scene.
“The house was, however, filled with smoke and the roof had to be lifted to ventilate the smoke from the house.”
Mabaso further said two other rooms in the house were also affected by the fire due to the heat damage.
He said luckily no-one sustained any injuries in the fire and no-one was treated on the scene.
“The cause of the fire is suspected to be a possible electrical fault, as it was found that no-one was using a heater at the time,” he concluded.
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