As winter creeps in, residents are once more reminded to take extra precautions when using items such as electric heaters and gas operated appliances and more so to ensure that those installing gas systems are accredited installers.
This follows a fire that engulfed a home in Laudium last Wednesday (May 27) evening, apparently caused by a leaking pipe of a gas heater, resulting in the bottom part of the double story house on Heliodor Street being substantially damaged at around 8pm. While the homeowner Ahmed Rashid was not home, his famliy managed to escape.
According to reports, the domestic worker panicked upon seeing the flames, running upstairs, then jumping off the balcony, allegedly breaking her leg. It is believed that the family had a problem with a leaking gas heater pipe, which had just been connected and thus called back the installer. It is believed that while the installer was busy checking out the problem, a spark occurred causing the fire.
At the time that the Laudium Sun went to the scene of the fire, we were unable to meet with any family member, as they had moved out from the house. However the caretaker at the premises, John Majawa, told the Laudium Sun, “I was outside the house when the fire started. I suddenly heard a loud sound coming from inside the house and I immediately felt that something serious had happened. When I rushed to check, I noticed flames already
coming from the kitchen area. My boss was not at home at the time of the incident, but his wife, a child and the helper who were inside managed to get out of the house, together with the person who was fixing the gas heater. The fire spread very quickly and became extremely intense within a short period of time. The blaze was so severe that it destroyed most of the belongings inside the bottom part of the house. Everything was affected, from curtains and furniture to household items and personal possessions. The whole house was full of smoke. Almost everything inside the bottom section of the home was reduced to ashes, due to the intensity of the fire. With the help of neighbours, I managed to contact emergency services and shortly after that, the Tshwane fire brigade team arrived at the scene and began extinguishing the fire. Despite their quick response, the flames had already caused extensive damage by the time it was brought under control. I have never seen a fire with flames of this magnitude in my entire life. It was frightening to witness how fast it spread and how much destruction it caused in such a short time. The situation left everyone in shock and disbelief. I strongly believe that the cause of the fire was the gas heater leak, which had been a problem. This may have triggered the explosion and subsequent blaze. At this moment, I am very emotional as I am deeply saddened because everything has been destroyed, including my clothes, that were kept in the back room. The entire downstairs part of the house inside has been severely damaged and it is very painful to see everything lost in this way.”
Devan Naidoo, another resident of Heliodor Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The fire was really bad as the flames were extremely large and it seemed everything inside the house was destroyed in the process. The scale of the damage was severe, and it was difficult for residents in the area to watch the situation unfold without feeling concerned and worried about safety in the neighbourhood. I am not sure what is going on in Laudium at the moment. There are so many negative incidents taking place, ranging from serious criminal activities, reports of kidnappings, and now we are hearing about frequent house fires as well. It feels like one issue is following another and it is becoming increasingly worrying for the community as a whole. People need to be more cautious when they hand over responsibility of their homes to caretakers. I have noticed that some caretakers are foreign workers who may not always be familiar with these gas systems, safety standards, or modern technology that we use in South Africa. Because of this, I believe neighbours and homeowners should be more careful and selective about who they trust to manage or look after their properties. At the same time, I do not want to make assumptions about individuals, but rather highlight the general need for better awareness and responsibility when it comes to property management and safety practices. Incidents like this fire shows how quickly things can go wrong and how much damage can be caused in a short period of time.”
Sadia Khan, also of Heliodor Street, told the Laudium Sun, ”I sincerely hope that the owner of the house is able to recover from this loss, as I believe that it is extremely difficult to lose belongings that have been built up over many years of hard work and dedication. The emotional and financial impact of such an incident can be very heavy and it takes time to rebuild after something like this happens.”