Durban - A former Miss Universe 1966 participant lost all her possessions when a fire destroyed her home in Smiso Nkwanyana (Goble) Road on Sunday.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, which started at 1pm, and the cause is yet to be determined. The homeowner, Lynn Carol De Jager, her tenants living in an out-building and five dogs escaped unhurt.
De Jager, who represented South Africa at the Miss Universe contest in Miami Beach, said she was gardening when she noticed smoke coming out of the lounge window.
“I shouted to my tenants for help. I got to the doorway and could see the flames in the passage and next thing we were engulfed with smoke. One of the tenants tried to douse the flames with a garden hose but the fire kept spreading,” she said.
Neighbour Reggie Moodaliar said he saw smoke coming from the house and began screaming to other neighbours for help
“The house and pavement were engulfed in black smoke. You could not see past your hand. The flames were huge. I saw a car parked in the driveway. A few bystanders managed to pry the sliding gate open and we broke the window and pushed the car out onto the road to safety,” Moodaliar said.
Later, when the Daily News arrived for an interview, De Jager looked devastated as she stepped onto the veranda to see the ruins.
“I doubt I can salvage anything. I lost my mother’s antiques and family memorabilia and scrapbooks of pictures left behind by my father,” she said.
Durban North uMhlanga Crisis team, Christy Holmes, and Anthony Wilmot, who were passing the blaze at the time, scrambled to assist after seeing the fire. Holmes said they took De Jager out of the yard and helped her recuperate at a neighbouring flat. Holmes said five dogs on the property were caught.
“The intense heat caused the dogs to hide in the backyard. We found them and arranged for them to be placed at Kloof and Highway SPCA until the house is sorted out,” she said.
Rescue Care paramedic spokesman, Garrith Jamieson, confirmed one person was treated for smoke inhalation. The Durban Fire Department has not yet established the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, Holmes is appealing for donations for the victim. Contact her at 072 372 6753.
Daily News