KNYSNA NEWS - A fire in Woodcock, Concordia razed a home last weekend.
The Wendy house burnt to dust on Sunday 2 September and even though there were no casualties, owner Pitso Diholo lost everything in the fire, including his ID.
It is unknown what the cause of the fire was.
Diholo says he was at a shop in the area when the shop owner made a comment about a fire, and when he looked back he saw it was his house that was up in flames.
"I ran to the house screaming frantically and in complete disbelief because for the life of me I don't know what caused it."
The 53-year-old, who is unemployed and relies on temporary jobs, says even though he did not have much, that it would take him many years to fully recover from this. "I might never get half the stuff I had."
Owner of the property Phileas Mabinyani, who is close friends with Diholo, said he was also at a loss as to how the fire started. Diholo was going to watch a game of soccer on TV with him in his house but first went out to buy cigarettes. “In what felt like two minutes I heard him shouting and when I got out I saw the huge flames. He was sleeping when I called him to watch soccer so that rules out the possibility of him leaving a stove unattended – all reasoning and science fails me as to explain what could’ve caused the fire.”
Fire fighters on the scene.
Locals in the area watching the flames.
Jill Morse of the Knysna Disaster Fund said since the beginning of the year they have helped about 50 adults and 30 children who lost their homes in a similar way and that it is important for fire victims to understand that not all hope is lost as there are organisations that are dedicated to giving them the support they need.
She said the first stop for all fire victims is to make an affidavit at the police station, then report it to the municipality and lastly their offices.
Morse said since the 7 June 2017 fires, many organisations have been working closely together. “This is one of the pluses we can take from the devastating fires.”
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