A Westcliff family is lucky to have escaped a house fire that ravaged through the upper level of their two-bedroom home on Sunday, leaving them homeless and in of help to rebuild.
The family has lived in their Westcliff Drive home for over 60 years and are devastated at the loss of their possessions and priceless mementos in the fire. A heartbroken Eshara Basdev and her husband, Sunil, said they were drawn by their sixth sense to leave their weekend away early and arrived at their family home shortly before the fire engulfed their bedroom.
Basdev, who shares the home with her 75-year-old mother, Rosy Bisessar, and her 55-year-old sister, said they were alerted to the fire by screams from her sister, who is deaf and mute. She said: “My niece had just arrived to visit so thankfully we were all safe downstairs.”
“My sister, who cannot hear or speak, had went upstairs and we heard her scream. Before we could react, her screams got more frantic and we rushed upstairs to find the room filled with smoke and huge flames everywhere.
“We ran out and managed to alert everyone and get them safely outside the home. We know that it cannot be an electrical fault as we do not use electricity and have made use of solar power and gas for about ten years,” said Basdev.
Most of the family’s personal possessions were destroyed and the home is deemed unsafe to live in. None of the family members were injured, however, paramedics from Amawele Emergency Services treated Bisessar at the scene.
Spokesperson from Amawele Emergency Services, Siven Soobramodey, said Bisessar was treated for shock and was stabilised while firefighters fought the flames. The roof of the home had caved in and with the first level of the home at risk of further damage, the family appeals to residents for assistance in rebuilding their home.
We had to relocate to my husband’s mother’s house in Phoenix until we are able to make the home safe to live in again. We will be grateful if residents in a position to assist us with rebuilding can reach out to us in this time of uncertainty and shock. Nobody plans for an unforeseen circumstance to this extent where everything you worked hard for and built is destroyed in under an hour. We thank the neighbours and community members who went above and beyond to assist us while the home was ablaze and after. May God bless them, said Basdev.
The fate that has befallen the Westcliff family has become a common sight in Chatsworth with at least five families needing help after their homes were ravaged by fire. In July, attempts to save Croftdene father, Jason Naidoo, from escaping the burning cabin he slept in after it caught alight from a fallen candle were fruitless as his family could not get to him in time to save him when the fire engulfed the area, killing him. A video of a house on fire in Croftdene went viral on social media in July. The cause of the fire was unknown.
Almost a dozen makeshift homes completely burned to the ground after a ravaging fire engulfed an informal housing settlement in Westcliff, in June. The settlement, which is situated near the old Child Welfare building on Florence Nightingale Drive, comprised of a handful of families who sought refuge at the allegedly abandoned land due to scarce housing opportunities. In October, a teenage mother and her two-year-old child perished in a blaze which set their home caught alight in Welbedacht West, while a 19-year-old was killed in a shack fire at the Khayelitsha Informal Settlement, in July.
According to Netcare911 spokesperson, Shaun Herbst, there are various ways that one can prevent their house catching on fire or limit the damage caused by the inferno.
He advised residents to buy a small fire extinguisher from a reputable dealer to keep in their home and to familiarise themselves with emergency numbers in the event of a fire and medical emergency. He said: “Do take note of warnings on selected appliances. Do not cover heaters. Do check electrical cables regularly for damage. Don t leave the room where a candle is burning, a heater is on, fire in the fireplace is still burning fiercely, oil is on heat atop the stove.”
Incase one is caught in a house fire, he advised that the person stays low to the ground when exiting a smoke-filled room. “Smoke will rise and staying low will minimise the potential for inhalation injuries. Do cover your nose and mouth with a (moist) cloth. This also minimises the inhalation of smoke by breathing through a barrier. Do exit the burning building as soon and as safely as possible. Don t open a closed door of a room suspected to be on fire. Don’t enter a room that is on fire. Don’t re-enter the home once you have exited away from the fire.”
He added that a general rule to follow is to stay as far away from an uncontrolled open flame as possible. To assist Basdev and her family, contact Sunil Basdev on 082-886-1663.
