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KNYSNA NEWS - A fire destroyed most of the Island Villa Guest House on Leisure Island earlier this morning, leaving owner Don Tait and his family devastated after their two dogs perished in the blaze.
The Tait family, who rushed back to Knysna from George after learning that their guest house was on fire, were visibly shaken by the events and declined to speak to the media.
When Knysna & Plett Herald senior journalist Hugo Redelinghuys arrived at the scene, the property had been cordoned off by local police and firefighters.
The family was surrounded by close friends who gathered in the garden to offer support as they grappled with the loss. One of their immediate concerns was the whereabouts of their two dogs, which had been inside the house when the fire broke out.
Firefighters later found the bodies of both animals while searching through the burnt-out building.
According to Casper Coetsee of CPC Real Estate in Mossel Bay, who was visiting Knysna with his family for the weekend, they noticed a large plume of smoke rising above Leisure Island while they were at The Heads.
“We immediately rushed down to Leisure Island, straight to where the fire was burning out of control. We arrived more or less at the same time as the local fire brigade,” he said.
Coetsee said he continued taking photographs and recording video of the incident before leaving the scene.
“It seems that no one was in the guest house at the time it caught fire,” he said.
Tait was reportedly in George participating in a road race when the fire broke out. He and his family then rushed back to Knysna.
A close friend, who was with the family at the scene and asked not to be identified, said it was too early to determine what had caused the fire.
The friend said an electrical short circuit was one possible explanation, but stressed that this had not been confirmed.
The friend also said the couple had two young sons and that the family would need support from close friends while they dealt with the aftermath of the fire.
The cause of the blaze has not yet been established.
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