A family of five and a shop owner were left with only the clothes they were wearing when a fire destroyed their five-room home in Hooggenoeg on Monday night.
A family of five and a shop owner were left with only the clothes they were wearing when a fire destroyed their five-room home in Hooggenoeg on Monday night.
Police have arrested someone and a case of arson has been opened.
The owner of the house, Aubrey Bouwer, said the fire started after 10pm. Bouwer said he was asleep in his bedroom when the fire broke out.
His neighbours called him and immediately he woke up and saw fire coming from the front room. Apparently his neighbour detected the fire because they were still watching TV at the time.
“I’m not sure of what started the fire because I was asleep at that time and only heard my neighbour screaming and calling me. I went on to check and saw blazes in the front room.”
Bouwer says the damage could have been much less if it wasn’t for a water outage. Neighbours came in numbers to help extinguish the blaze but there was very little they could do because there was no water in the taps.
“We managed to run out and we didn’t get injured. Neighbours quickly arrived but the taps were dry and with no water at that time. The fire department arrived a bit late and they fought the fire, but nothing was left, furniture and clothes were destroyed by the fire,” said Bouwer.
A shop owner, Shamsul Alam, who was renting and running a spaza shop in the yard also lost all his stock and other belongings in the fire.
“I was about to sleep when the fire started. I noticed something there was unusual happening and I saw fire coming in from the window. I called Hi-Tec security and jumped up from the bed."
By then the fire had already spread all around the property, according to Alam.
"The fire was already all over now and I only took my cellphone and ran out of the house. All my belongings were burnt and that is including my spaza shop stock.
"I am really frustrated now because this is the second time that I'm loosing my stock. Last year there was the looting incident and now my shop has burnt down."
"It was difficult to get this burnt down stock after last years incident and now how will I manage to get another stock? I have also lost a cash of around R3 500 in this fire. I am still confused and don't know what to do, I'm only left with the clothes that I'm wearing now," said Alam.
Bouwer's daughter, Melisa Nohesi, said she and her boyfriend had earlier been sleeping in the room where the fire apparently started.
Nohesi said she had run to hide in another room in the house during an altercation with him.
Nohesi said she had reported this to the police when she was making her statement.
Grahamstown police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said one person was arrested in connection with the fire and a case of arson was opened.
