Fire consumes home in Makhado

MAKHADO – His children’s screams pierced the early evening quiet outside his home on the corner of Munnik and Breda Street last Thursday.

Thomas Ramuhuyu ran to the aid of his children, who were inside the house. They screamed that there was a fire in one of their rooms.

“When I came into the room, the bed was on fire and I could not get near the fire, so I ran outside with my children and broke the window of the room where the fire was. In the process of breaking the window, I also cut my hand.

“I used the hosepipe, which I stuck through the window, to try and douse the flames,” Ramuhuyu explained.

He said before he knew it, the fire had spread through the entire house.

“I am so thankful for my neighbours who almost immediately started to help us, they helped us save some of our furniture and clothes. The firefighters also worked very hard. They helped with furniture and took care of the fire. I would really like to thank everyone that helped us,” Ramuhuyu said.

Ramuhuyu said to get their lives back together was going to be an enormous task.

He said his children were his priority and the first step he would take was to speak to the schools they attended to see where they could assist. “My children’s school bags and uniforms were lost in the fire, and they are currently busy with examinations.

Ramuhuyu further said the exact cause of the fire was still unknown.

Provincial police spokesperson, Col Ronél Otto, said the matter was under investigation and forensic tests were done to determine the cause of the fire. She said should the investigation reveal that the fire was caused on purpose, a case of arson would be opened and investigated.