SEBOKENG-. Sunday (October 19) will forever be remembered by Zone 10 Ext 3 residents Maria and Philemon Nkhi, a couple in their 70s, whose lives were turned upside down when a fire destroyed their home.

The couple had gone to bed early due to a power outage that began around 18:00, shortly after they had been watching a Sundowns football match. Around 22:00, they were woken up by a noise, initially thinking it was an intruder in their nine-room house, only to discover the electricity had returned, and there was smoke in the house.

They later noticed that the house was on fire and by sheer luck, the couple managed to escape and cried for help.

Neighbours quickly responded and called the Emfuleni Emergency Fire Services, which reportedly took some time to arrive. Three fire trucks eventually did show up, but  they had little or no water. According to the couple, attempts to use tap water to contain the flames also failed, as there was no water coming from the taps.

“At night, the municipality closes the water, we do not know why. This is a constant thing,” residents told Sedibeng Ster.

Ward 36 Councillor Mpho ‘Fish’ Kolisang confirmed the fire after power was restored.

“I received a call from one of the neighbours and went with my wife to the scene, as it is only a few houses from my place. We called firefighters several times, but we struggled. I even called the Station Commander of Sebokeng SAPS, Brigadier Kubone, and ELM MMC for Public Safety, Elias Mokoena to assist.”

According to Kolisang, the fire trucks ran out of water and requested access to a fire hydrant.

“We don’t have one in our neighbourhood. The nearest is in Zone 10 Ext 2, so they had to drive there to refill. While at the scene, there was a small explosion, prompting firefighters to ask neighbours to move back,” he said.

Kolisang is in constant contact with the couple who are now staying with a neighbour while trying to figure out their plan of action.

“We could not save anything from the house, we escaped with just the clothes we were wearing. We are lucky to be alive,” they told Sedibeng Ster.

The couple believes that the cause of the fire is the power outage, a constant thing that has been happening in the area.

“If the fire trucks had arrived on time and had water, maybe we could have saved some of our belongings,” the couple said.

The couple is thankful to everyone who helped them on the day and those who came to help clean their yard this week. They are, however, pleading for help in any form or action to regain their lives in society.

Sedibeng Ster has sent enquiries to the municipality about the allegations of the fire truck’s lack of water, and to Eskom about the recurring power outages. Eskom responded by acknowledging receipt of the paper’s enquiry.

“We will provide feedback as soon as possible,” the response said.

At the time of publication, no response has been received from the municipality.