Blind granny (84) injured in fire
A blind 84-year-old woman was badly burned in her house in Lynnville.
Ms Mary Ranto was alone in the house on Saturday, January 31 at about 22:00 and had had her last cigarette, which she thought she had put out. The cigarette is thought to be cause of the fire that burned her room in a house in Lynnville.
According to one of the granddaughters who sleep in the back rooms, Ranto was alone and they thought she was already asleep when they were surprised to see smoke coming out of the house.
“After our electricity tripped in our room, we went out to check. We were met by heavy smoke coming from the kitchen door. We tried and failed to open the open the door. We then called neighbours for help. They broke windows and put a hosepipe through, the smoke and fire were very heavy,” said one of the granddaughters.
She said some of the neighbours went in and searched for Ranto, who was found under a table in the dining room.
It is thought that she might have crawled out of the room after being burned.
A bed, wall wardrobes, clothes including school uniforms, blankets, school books, shoes, comforter, curtains, two televisions, a chest of drawers and other items were all burned in the fire. The estimated value of all the things that burned is about R30 000.
Ranto was taken to hospital by ambulance with burn wounds to lower parts of her body, back and hands.
Fire engines apparently came hours after the fire was put out by neighbours.
Ranto is staying with nine grandchildren who are between the ages of two and 10 years. The children are now without books, school uniform and all the family members are left with only the clothes they were wearing.
Cllr Western Kgomo visited the family on Monday, February 2.
