Family escapes as blaze destroys home in Rheenendal

RHEENENDAL NEWS - A Rheenendal family lost their home and all their belongings in a fire in the early hours of Saturday, 10 October, reigniting concerns about firefighting resources and emergency response in the area.

According to community leader Sebastian Saayman, the family was asleep when the blaze broke out but managed to escape unharmed. The cause of the fire is unknown.

The fire comes two days after the Knysna-Plett Herald reported on concerns surrounding the whereabouts and operational status of a fire truck unveiled during the opening of the Rheenendal e-centre in June.

In that report, residents questioned why the vehicle had not been seen in the community for some time, amid unverified reports that it had allegedly been destroyed in a fire at a service provider’s premises while undergoing the installation of additional firefighting equipment.

Those reports had not been independently verified.

Knysna Municipality disputed information contained in the earlier enquiry, describing it as “not factually correct”.

Municipal communications manager Christopher Bezuidenhout said the greater Knysna fire fleet was allocated for operational use across the municipal area and was not permanently assigned to a particular locality unless operational and infrastructure requirements provided for such an arrangement.

He said the newly acquired fire engine had been redeployed, while Rheenendal continued to receive fire and emergency response through a fire trailer supported by the Knysna and Sedgefield fire stations.

Bezuidenhout added that permanently placing the truck in Rheenendal remained subject to the establishment of a properly capacitated satellite fire station.

The latest fire has again brought the community’s concerns about emergency preparedness into focus, with residents calling for clarity on the resources available to respond to incidents in the area.

For the affected family, the immediate priority is finding a way to rebuild their lives.

Knysna Municipality was approached for further comment on the firefighting resources available to Rheenendal during emergencies and the possibility of providing urgent assistance to the family affected by the fire. Its response had not been received by the time of publication. The Herald will update this report should further information become available.