Pelican Park - This teen loves his dog so much that he risked his life saving it from a burning house.
The brave 16-year-old boy ran back into the flames to save his pet after their home was
petrol-bombed in Pelican Park.
Stephan Bennett says his terrified hondjie, Terry, was stuck in the toilet and couldn’t escape.
“The doors were locked and I opened it with the keys. The doors were cold because the heat hadn’t reached the doors yet,” he explains.
“I ran to the bathroom to get Terry out, he was terrified and didn’t want to come out. Even though the house was burning I wasn’t scared, I just wanted to get Terry out.”
The incident happened in 14th Avenue, Pelican Park, just after 5pm on Thursday.
Stephen’s mother, Sandra Bennett, says the skurke entered through a bedroom window, doused her house in petrol and set it alight.
“My husband left the house to fetch me at work at 5pm, and I don’t even work far from home,” the mom of two explains.
“It was during this time they gained entry into our home through the boys’ bedroom window.
“I got a call from a neighbour telling me our house was on fire. I have the most awesome neighbours because when we got here everybody was out, the fire was extinguished before the fire department got here.”
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut, confirmed the incident.
“Be advised that the petrol bomb attack in Pelican Park is under investigation. No one has been arrested as yet and no injuries were sustained,” Traut said.
Sandra says they found a plastic bottle with petrol and matches next to it.
“We lost almost everything. My older son, Shane, who works in IT, lost everything, his computer parts, laptops, everything.
“We discovered a closed plastic bottle with petrol inside and matches which police took to check for fingerprints.
Doused
“They started the fire in the lounge, the furniture was doused and one can see how the petrol was sprinkled over the wall. The fire then spread to my room and my bed, TV, everything is burnt.
“They sprinkled petrol all over the house. My boys’ beds did not burn, but you can smell the petrol on it.”
The mom has no idea why their house was targeted.
“We have no enemies, if we weren’t the people we were our neighbours would not have come out to help and support us,” Sandra added.