GALLERY: Couple from Bellavista survive fire while dogs die

AN ELDERLY couple from Bellavista is lucky to have survived a blazing fire which swept through their kitchen.

Janny (73) and Samuel Smit (54) couldn’t believe their eyes when their house caught fire on the afternoon of October 12.

Janny told COURIER she was preparing a meal for lunch on her stove when she quickly went to her bedroom, but upon her return there were flames all over.

“My husband and I panicked, but luckily one of the neighbours came rushing and she was able to rescue us.

“Everything happened so fast, but my neighbours tried defusing the fire not to spread to other units,” said Janny.

One of the neighbours, Elta Mckenzie, said they saw smoke and then rushed to get the couple out because they know there’s an old couple in the unit.

“We pushed the door and took the couple out and people came with buckets full of water to put out the fire. People from the community played a huge role in saving the couple’s lives,” said Mckenzie.

They did, however, lose their four dogs to the fire. The couple don’t know what caused the fire, but they suspect it might be faulty electrical connections.

“We’ve never experienced such incidents in the area and its the first time it happened to me. I think it was caused by an electrical fault because when I was in the kitchen nothing strange happened,” explained Janny.

Councillor Rashieda Landis said she was informed about the incident and she will be going to the family to offer her assistance.

“I will definitely assist them because in times like these they need to be assisted. My plea is that we need to check and double-check our stoves, kettles and irons before we leave our dwellings. We are living in a hectic world. It can happen to anyone,” said Landis.

To assist the couple contact Dawn Jasmith on 076 483 9691.

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