Cape St Francis Family Escape Burning Home

A home in Cape St Francis, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, was burned to the ground on Thursday evening. Fortunately, the family escaped just in time.

Sara Jane Smith, NSRI St Francis Bay station commander, said her crew was activated on Thursday night just after 20h00.

Local community members, volunteer groups and Fire and Rescue Services also responded.

Smith said: “On arrival on the scene a residential house was found to be well ablaze and the family of 4, who were in the house at the time, had escaped and they were not injured.

“Efforts to save the fire spreading were employed and Fire and Rescue Services extinguished the blaze but sadly the house has been gutted and raised to the ground.”

According to St Francis Today the house was a semi timber  construction, and “neighbours report that the family literally escaped with their lives, so quick did it become an inferno… and they were left in the clothes they were in at the time, nothing else.”

St Francis Disaster Volunteer Group’s (SFDVG) Liezl Clause told St Francis Today that Sean Skelton was asleep at the time, and “was alerted by his wife that the roof was on fire. Sadly the house was razed to the ground and with it 16 years of memories.

“Fortunately Sean, his wife and two children are safe.”

The community, fire brigade and volunteer groups – who were so active during the horrific fires in 2016 – have been commended for yet again rallying together to prevent the fire from spreading.

The newspaper also gave a shout out to ‘Brandon’ at the local pharmacy who made himself immediately available and on standby.

Sources: NSRI.org.za, WhatsApp, Facebook, St Francis Today