What was meant to be a peaceful Sunday afternoon after church for local resident Ben Kingombe and his family turned into a near-death ordeal.

Kingombe, who has rented a property in Gresswold for the past four years, met with a journalist at the burnt structure on October 29, where he recalled the tragedy.

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The burnt structure that housed the family of five now lies empty and surrounded by rubble and ashes that were once valuable items to the family.

The resident suspects the fire was caused by a spark that emerged after his daughter turned on the kettle to boil water, though that has not been confirmed. Two gas cylinders exploded as the fire raged, worsening the blaze.

Kingombe added that he had just put his youngest daughter to sleep in the bedroom and had to rush to rescue her.

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He noted the ordeal was traumatic for his family, who managed to escape alive, although he suffered a burnt and bruised hand when he rescued his sleeping daughter.

Now, they are calling on the community for assistance.

“Some community members provided us with clothing and a place to stay for the time being, but we would also like to appeal for more help with a permanent place to stay and anything else that can help us get back on our feet since we lost everything,” said Kingombe.

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