Police intervened when a man was assaulted after a house fire in Grahamstown on Monday 2 March. Some bystanders had accused him of causing the fire.
Police intervened when a man was assaulted after a house fire in Grahamstown on Monday 2 March. Some bystanders had accused him of causing the fire.
A man was forced to flee his home and seek refuge with a relative after a fire ruined his Vellem Street, Joza, home this week.
Mgcinikhaya Mxube was cooking lunch around midday and left the stove on while he dashed to the shop to buy fresh vegetables.
"When I returned, I was shocked to see the house engulfed in flames." he said.
Mxube didn't see it as unusual to leave the stove on.
"The spaza shop is just around the corner. Many people cook this way."
The fire destroyed the ceiling and roof, furniture, electronics, clothes and kitchen appliances.
It also threatened Mxube's neighbours, because they share a common wall.
Chief of Makana Fire department William Welkom said the fire was already extinguished when fire fighters arrived at the house.
"It was what we call EBA (Extinguished Before Arrival) meaning that people put it out before calling the fire station," Welkom said.
"We stayed behind, however, to make sure the fire didn't start up again."
Welkom said the ambulance and police were called in as part of normal procedure.
"But also police were needed because there was a guy who was being assaulted at the scene."
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the man was accused of causing the fire.
Earlier this year the Fire Department warned communities about the dangers of fighting fires without expert assistance.
In a January interview the Fire Department's station commander Vuyokazi Sam said,
"People who are not trained to deal with fires might fuel it further, or even endanger their lives."
An elderly Joza couple lost all their possessions in a fire on 21 December. The fire department said the fire had already progressed considerably when they were called to the house, near JD Dlepu stadium.
