Generators provide more than was bargained for
A hosepipe was finally used to douse the blaze.
LOADSHEDDING and other electricity supply problems almost had catastrophic consequences for Kelso resident, Wikus van Kraayenburg.
Wikus was one of many mid South Coasters who were recently without power for nearly a week.
ALSO READ : Tuesday Life Hack: 7 life hacks to help you during loadshedding
He is a fisherman with his own charter company and the prolonged outage forced him to discard large quantities of fish and meat from his freezers at home.
“This meant I was running at a loss, so I decided to hire a generator,” he said.
Although this helped, it wasn’t cost-effective, with the machine using up to R700 worth of fuel a day.
By the fourth day, Wikus decided to take the plunge and bought himself a new generator, filling it up, ready for use.
“The plan was to continue using the hired generator until the fuel was used up before switching over to the new machine,” he said.
“Just before midnight I smelled smoke. When I went to the garage to investigate, I saw one of the generators had caught alight and the flames were spreading to the second machine next to it.”
Wikus was alone at home and was forced to fight the blaze on his own.
“I used five fire extinguishers but still had difficulty dousing the flames as both generators contained fuel.
“The fire spread, burning three of my freezers, and the front of my car. The smoke and heat spread throughout the house. My bedroom walls and ceiling were black but fortunately did not burn,” he added.
Eventually, ignoring the blisters and burns on his hands and legs, he managed to put the fire out with a hosepipe.
“I’m not sure how the fire started but I’m grateful that I didn’t get seriously hurt and that my house is still standing.
“It did make me wonder though if any of this would have happened had there been electricity?”
And to add insult to injury, the power supply was restored the following day, leaving the unfortunate man with a lot of damage, including a new, now-unusable generator.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
To receive our FREE email newsletter, click HERE
