DURBAN - RESIDENTS and businesses in Merebank, south of Durban, have rallied together to assist a family get back on their feet, after a fire destroyed their home.
Two puppies also died, when the fire swept through the two-bedroom home, on Sialkot Crescent.
Two adults and two children, aged seven and 10, lived in the house. The adults are unemployed. On Wednesday , the Forum of Businesses in Merebank, co-ordinated by Mario Anthony Joseph, cleared rubble and the burnt ruins of the interior of the home.
Merebank Residents Association (MRA) spokesperson Raven Naidoo said building materials were being sourced for the home to be rebuilt.
Naidoo said the family were destitute and were without electricity for more than a decade and, therefore, used candles.
Homeowner Poovendran Perumal Naicker, 64, said he was still recovering from the ordeal.
He said the children were in the other room studying for a test, which they were supposed to write on Tuesday.
Naicker said a candle allegedly fell and the room caught alight on Monday night.
Fortunately, they managed to get out the house and no one was injured, aside from the death of the two puppies.
“We are left only with the clothing on our backs. The children did not go to school. We tried to stop the fire but it was out of control,” Naicker said.
He said that the two puppies were in the room with the children when the fire began.
“The flames were too high to pull them out in time.“
On Monday night, the MRA arranged for the family to sleep at a safe house in Wentworth.
Naidoo said he was grateful to Patricia Dove for the assistance.
Daily News