‘HY WAS GEROOK’ - Mense blame ‘drugged-up’ neighbour for fire in which they lost als

A CLARKE Estate family say they “lost alles” when a fire, allegedly sparked by a ‘gerookte neighbour, spread through their community, destroying 12 structures and displacing 39 people.

Ouma Jamie-Lee Cupido told the Daily Voice that she lives with her mother, her sister and three minor children behind where the fire broke out on Wednesday around 4pm.

She explained: “I was in the house with my three grandchildren as I called for help. 

“No one came to help us, they only went to where the fire started. I was struggling with the three grandchildren who were with me inside our house.

“We lost literally everything because the wendy houses were close to each other and there were wood and paint buckets lying next to our wendy. The wind was also blowing heavily so we couldn’t save anything.”

She alleges that the fire broke out due to negligence after a neighbour started a fire which caught alight on oil and paraffin in his house.

Cupido said: “The guy behind us who started the fire was on drugs. He made a fire and took a pull of mandrax, blacked out and that’s what caused the fire. He collected rubbish including paint buckets that had oil, paraffin, everything there.

“It is not the first time that he caused a fire. We told him constantly that he must listen, or we would call the police, but he never listened. 

“He was so blacked out high on the drugs laying on the grass, he didn’t even come say sorry or help us, nothing.”

Cupido and her family are currently staying at another family member's home. She said that her household and eight others received humanitarian assistance from Gift of the Givers.

The organisation’s project manager Ali Sablay said that their teams have supported the victims with food hampers, blankets, hygiene items, water and babycare packages.

Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Edward Bosch said that members responded to reports of wood and iron structures that were set alight.

Bosch explained: “Six firefighting vehicles from Bellville, Durbanville, Milnerton, Kraaifontein & Mitchells Plain Fire Stations responded.

“Upon arrival, firefighters found multiple informal structures alight.

“The blaze left 39 mense displaced and accounted for, leaving one adult female with burn wounds sustained to her arm and was treated by Metro ambulance on the scene.”