Cape Town - A romantic Valentine’s dinner turned to ashes for a Goodwood family who lost everything when a fire ravaged their family home.
Vaughn and Nadia Gallant were about to enjoy a happy evening meal together at N1 City Mall, when they received a call from a friend babysitting their children ages four and nine; and Nadia’s siblings aged nine, 14 and 18.
“The house is burning,” said her close friend Ameera Abrahams.
Abrahams said she was cooking at the time and Vaughn and Nadia’s two children and Nadia’s younger siblings were at home.
She said the children were bathing when the fire started about 7pm.
Abrahams said she could smell smoke and heard a crackling sound coming from the lounge.
When she went into the room she saw the fire.
She said they tried to use water to extinguish the flames, but the water seemed to feed the flames.
This was when she told the children to get out of the bath, and they all left the house - the children still naked - through the back door and scaled the side wall with the help of neighbours.
It was then that Abrahams called the fire department and then Nadia.
Although, nobody was hurt, at this point they did not know if any of the children were affected by the fire.
But when they realised everybody was okay there was a sense of relief.
However, the next set of emotions set in.
“The next feeling was concern for our home.”
In spite of efforts from firefighters, their four-bedroom home was destroyed.
What was not destroyed by the fire was damaged by water.
Currently the family have been separated staying with family in Salt River and a friend in Ruyterwacht.
“My main concern is reuniting the family, everything else we lost is just material things,” Vaughn said.
Close family and friends of Vaughn and Nadia have started a fund called Backabuddy.
The fund was started three days after the fire and has raised close to R9 000 of the R50 000 target.
The cause of the fire has not been established yet.