A hartseer father watched helplessly as his one-year-old son burn to death in Hillview on Saturday afternoon.
Bradley Breda, 35, says his son Ashton died in a devastating fire that destroyed two Wendy houses in the yard of 9 Aster Road at 12.30pm.
“I put Ashton to sleep just after 12 and then I went across the road. My wife and mother were in the main house getting dressed when the electricity tripped, so they thought it was loadshedding,” he says.
“They went outside to ask the other people but found out it was not loadshedding, and then the neighbour across the road shouted that smoke was coming from the yard.
“We used the garage door to get to the bungalows at the back, but when they opened the door, the smoke and flames were already too strong.
“My wife shouted for me, so I came running and tried to get to Ashton but the flames were too strong.
“I ran to the next-door neighbour and jumped over the wall to get into our yard.
“When I was standing in the yard, I could see Ashton lying on the bed but I could not get to him because of the fire, so I just stood there watching the fire around his body.
“I think the smoke must have killed him a while ago because he was not even crying.”
While speaking to the Daily Voice, the father of five showed us the marks on his ear from the fire and the damage to the house where family members were clearing the burnt debris.
“I do not know what caused the fire because there was nothing even plugged in by the room where Ashton was sleeping, there was not even a light on.
“The fire happened quickly and everything was gone just like that.
“My twin brother lives in the bungalow next to mine and his place also burned down.
“The wind also blew the fire to the neighbours so their place was also damaged,” he says.
Fire and Rescue’s Jermaine Carelse says: “The body of the baby boy was burnt beyond recognition and was declared deceased at approximately 2pm.
“An initial assessment at the time of the incident had 17 adults and four minors displaced.”
To assist the Breda family, can call Bradley’s father Sidney on 064 396 3075.
junior.bester@inl.co.za