A Ghost Town family is in mourning after a fire reduced their flat to ashes.
A Ghost Town family is in mourning after a fire reduced their flat to ashes.
Winnifred Booysen said the fire started shortly before midnight on Thursday but she does not know how it started. Her 32-year-old brother, Llewellyn, who was sleeping in the three-room flat was burnt to death. The fire which is believed to have started in the bedroom where Llewellyn was sleeping left a trail of destruction as it reduced the flat and its contents to ashes.
According to Winnifred’s sister Cindy Booysen, the family was alerted to the fire after a baby’s cry and while attending to the infant she noticed raging flames leaping across the flat. She then woke the whole family up. "A group of people from the neighbourhood tried to stop the fire but it was too strong for them," she said.
The Booysens then called the police who in turn called the fire department. Cindy thanked the police for their prompt response to the family’s call. According to eye-witnesses, the flames were as high as the electricity poles which severely marred the efforts of about 60 people from the neighbourhood who were trying to smother it.
Winnifred said the family is devastated because they not know how the fire began and that Llewellyn did not start a fire to keep warm or use candles. "My mother is so traumatised so much she was hospitalised," she said.
"He meant everything to me," said another sister Lizett Booysen. Llewellyn was unemployed and leaved a son behind. Cindy said yesterday that their mother was recovering well at home and that the funeral will be held in St Mary’s Catholic Church on Saturday morning at 10am.
Ward 10 councillor Xolani Simakuhle said he rushed to the house on Friday morning immediately after a fellow councillor alerted him of the tragedy. "I inspected the damage and then informed the office of the mayor," he said.
He added that while the municipality’s budget does not cater for such disasters he and a contingent of municipal officials gave the family "some groceries and blankets". He praised the municipality’s Community Development Workers (CDWs) for facilitating the process of obtaining birth certificates for two of the family members whose documents had been reduced to ashes by the fire.
"My deepest condolences to the family and I wish the granny a speedy recovery," he sympathised. He invited members of the public and government departments who would like to help the family to contact Municipal Manager Ntombi Baart or social services director Mandisi Planga or the muniicpality’s fire department.
